


Wasted Nights

by kishidanchougoroshi



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Drama & Romance, Love Triangles, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-08-19 01:49:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20201758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kishidanchougoroshi/pseuds/kishidanchougoroshi
Summary: In the beginning of Edo period, the best samurai from different clans were expected to join training in Edo, led by the Shogun’s most trusted swordsman. The peaceful era of Edo, however, was still haunted by the survivors of Sekigahara Battle from Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s troops. Sho was chosen to join the training in Edo and he must select one of his underlings to travel with him. But nobody was qualified enough to accompany him, until one day, he encountered someone he never expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note: Triangle love story and a violence, mention of blood.

Sho gripped his sword tighter as he walked among the crowds. He was off duty that day and went to town to entertain himself. There was a kabuki performance from the most famous Kiiroi Happa group and he planned to watch it. Mito was crowded as always; the shops, public baths, open stages, everything was mixed and smeared with people. Sho and the rest of the samurai in Mito-Tokugawa clan had just returned from their trip to Edo as a part of sankin kotai where they had to travel to the capital and spent a year there. They were given three days off before returning to their duty at Mito castle.

  
Mito branch of Tokugawa clan was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu’s eleventh son, Tokugawa Yorifusa. The clan was a member of gosanke (the three honorable houses of Tokugawa). Mito branch, however, was the lowest among gosanke so that it wasn’t eligible to become shogun. Nonetheless, Mito area held an important role as a hub for the daimyos who traveled to Edo. No wonder that the town was very alive with many shops, inns, and entertainments.

It had been twenty years since Edo period began, since the capital moved from Kyoto to Edo, since Tokugawa Ieyasu came into power. Sho was still fifteen when the Sekigahara battle occurred; his father survived the combat and returned to Mito to serve the Mito branch of Tokugawa clan. Sho was prepared to become his father’s successor, he had learned swords from the age of three and was appointed the captain of Akagumi troops when he was twenty. Aside from swords; Sho also learned literature and strategy-making, for him, the physical strength must be accompanied by good knowledge as well.

Edo period was a peaceful era, but it didn’t mean that samurai could put up their swords and stop their training. Sho, particularly held an intensive sword training for his troops four times a week and challenged them for real battle once in a week. He didn’t tolerate weakness and was well known as a cold-blooded captain among Mito troops. He was always appointed as the companion to Lord Mito to travel to Edo, unlike the other captains who had to wait for several years.

He made his way to the main kabuki theater; the commoners were welcomed to this performance. Sho enjoyed this kind of kabuki compared to the exclusive ones where samurai families were the only spectators. The Kiiroi Happa group performance had a simple story line and common jokes which Sho liked. His samurai comrades considered this kind of entertainment as cheap stuff and only fit for the commoners, but for Sho, it was worth watching.

Everyone glanced at his kimono and his sword which hung from his waist. Since the establishment of Edo period, the shogunate only granted permission for samurai clans to carry swords, which was why he rather stood out among the commoners. Sho wore a dark blue kimono with the Mito clan symbol embroidered on its back – green maruni mitsubaaoi (circle around three hollyhock leaves).

A samurai usually traveled with an assistant, it was rare for a warrior to roam the town by himself, especially someone like Sho who bore a high rank position inside the castle. Sho liked it this way; he was off duty after all, nobody would attack him in a place like this. He chose a seat in the upper middle – the best spot to watch the performance. The women who sat two rows in front of him whispered to each other while glancing at Sho’s face.

“Is that Sho-dono?” one of them said. The whispers were too loud, though.

“So handsome,” the other woman commented, giggling.

“Is he alone? Should we say hi?” the first woman whispered back.

Sho pretended that he didn’t hear them. The kabuki show was about to begin; he pulled a fan from his kimono sleeve and waved it as the air inside the hall grew warmer.

Kiiroi Happa group consisted of fifteen men; five of them played women roles. They played ‘Momotarou’ with a little arrangement here and there. Sho particularly loved the actor who played Momotarou very well; he performed good sword battles and he made the right expression for the scenes. Everyone clapped their hands when Momotarou fought the giant.

It was already half time of the performance when Sho caught a movement. A man was moving among the audiences; taking advantages of their lack of attention to their surroundings. Sho followed the man’s movement from the corner of his eyes, he could tell that the man was a pickpocket. There were many of them all over the town, but it seemed that the pickpocket wasn’t aware a samurai was here at the kabuki hall.

As a captain of Akagumi of Mito, Sho had the right to arrest and punish the criminals. A presence of a samurai was feared by commoners since they held power and could performance a cruel punishment. That stupid pickpocket had come to the wrong place at the wrong time. The man was grabbing someone’s pouch from their pocket without being noticed. He inserted it to his own kimono pocket and began looking for another victim.

He moved towards Sho’s direction in a slow motion and shifted around so he could take the money pouch from behind. Sho’s right hand was already around the handle of his sword and when the man was about to snatch the pouch from the man beside Sho, he swung the sword towards the pickpocket’s wrist. The sword was still inside its scabbard, but the impact was enough to make the pickpocket squawked in pain.

“It hurts,” the pickpocket winced while holding his left wrist.

The people started to realized what happened; a few of them stood up from their seats and shifted their attention from the stage towards the pickpocket on the floor.

“Little thief!” one of them screamed.

“My money is gone!” the other one responded.

The performance hall started buzzing; the kabuki show was forgotten as everybody approached the thief who had nowhere to run.

“Beat him!” one of them said.

“Teach him a lesson!” another replied.

The people around him nodded in agreement while tightening their fist, ready to punch the thief who crouched on the floor.

“Wait!” Sho said, holding his sword highly to soothe the crowd. “Nobody lays a hand on him.”

Everyone looked at the sword and to the Mito-clan symbol on Sho’s back. It was enough to make everyone quiet.

Sho drew his sword from its scabbard and pointed it to the man’s chest. “Return what you’ve taken from these people,” Sho ordered.

The thief looked at him with an angry gaze. He fished out the pouches he had stolen one by one with hesitance.

“That’s mine!”

The owner of the pouch started to take their money back, trying hard not to punch the pickpocket as they did so. Sho waited until every pouch was gone, before returning his attention to the thief.

“Give me a rope,” he said to the crowd.

“What will you do to me, Samurai-dono? Order me to commit seppuku?” the thief asked in a mocking tone.

“You’re not a samurai, you aren’t allowed to commit seppuku,” Sho answered, accepting a rope from someone. “Tie him up,” he ordered.

The commoners did what he said and tied the man tightly around his wrist.

“Will you behead him, Samurai-dono?” the middle-aged man beside Sho asked.

“I will bring him to the castle and will punish him based on our law. He’s a criminal, but he deserves justice. He’s a human being, same as us,” Sho said to the crowds. Some of them looked disappointed, but none of them dared to speak up.

“Get up!” Sho ordered to the thief. “If you manage to run, I’ll cut your throat,” he added, pointing his sword to the thief’s neck.

The pickpocket got up slowly from the floor, his worn-out kimono hung loosely from his neck, revealing his skinny body.

They walked towards the castle, attracting everyone’s attention. The pickpocket was bare foot, there were a few scratches on his skin, some of them were still fresh. He was smelly, perhaps he hadn’t taken a bath for weeks. His skin was pale and looked rather unhealthy; he was also very skinny so it wasn’t that hard to drag him all the way to the castle.

“Are samurai committing seppuku every day?” the thief asked. “Or do they fake their death to escape from the castle? I heard most of them are cowards.”

Sho tightened his grip on the thief’s arm, ignoring his question.

“Why are you alone, Samurai-dono?” the thief continued his question, he seemed not to be bothered by Sho’s cold response. “Is everyone scared of you that no one wants to travel with you?”

“Shut your mouth, or you’ll regret it,” Sho hissed.

The thief snorted and looked at Sho’s face with the utmost interest, but Sho kept on ignoring him until they were close to the castle’s gate. A few guards approached Sho while glancing at the thief with curious gaze.

“I caught this rat in the kabuki hall,” he explained. “Bring him to the prison, I’ll decide later on what to do with him,” Sho ordered.

“Yes, Sir!” the guards took the thief by the arms and dragged him towards the left side of the castle where the prison was located. Sho, meanwhile, proceeded towards the main building, he should have enjoyed himself in town instead of arresting a thief.

He walked to the dojo where his underlings were practicing sword; he took a seat on the floor while watching Fukushi, the youngest member among his subordinates, swung the wooden sword to the left and right.

“Sho-dono,” one of his other underlings, Satou Takeru approached him. “we didn’t expect you to return this soon.”

“A thief screwed up my plan,” Sho answered.

“That was an unfortunate,” Satou shook his head. “Have you decided on the second command for Akagumi?” he continued with a question.

Sho still looked at Fukushi who did the wrong move in the end before shifting his gaze to Satou. He knew that his underlings have been speculating about who would become his most-trusted subordinate, but Sho had difficulties in deciding, he needed more time.

“I haven’t thought about it.”

“The next travel to Edo is approaching, I guess you have to decide as soon as possible.”

Satou’s face was full of determination as he spoke which bothered Sho. He knew that Satou had targeted the position as the second in command for Akagumi troop. He had traveled with Sho several times to Edo, he was good in sword fighting, and he also a loyal underling, but Sho couldn’t decide – not yet.

“You’re right,” Sho agreed. “Give me a couple of weeks.”

He left the dojo and headed towards his own chamber. The servants welcomed him with respect as he approached. Sho walked straight to his studying room and began to write in his diary. He wrote kabuki, thief, sword, and read them before putting his brush back in its place.

His mind went to Edo, to the huge castle, to the crowded markets. He loved his stay in Edo and was always looking forward to the next travel. But something bothered him. None of his underlings was easy-going, they were always alert as if the enemy could strike them anytime. Sho had reminded them that Edo period was a peaceful era, nobody would attack them on the street, but no one listened to him, all of them were paranoid. That was why Sho loved to travel by himself.

He inhaled a deep breath and took his brush once again. He wrote another two words.

Skinny thief

***

Sho was summoned by Lord Mito early in the morning the next day. He dressed up, inserted his sword into its scabbard and hung it on his waist. Sho and the other captains arrived at the main castle and waited for Lord Mito. All of them wore the same kimono and sat on the tatami floor, facing each other.

Lord Mito entered the room a moment later; all of them bowed in respect until the Lord took a seat at the end of the line. He spread his sight all around the room and nodded with a slight smile on his lips.

“The time to travel to Edo is approaching. This time, I got a particular invitation from Tokugawa Yoshinao* to join his best troop in sword training. He wants to invite the best swordsman in Mito castle to train together at Edo and I choose Sho to fulfill this specific request,” the Lord said while looking at Sho.

“Thank you for the honour, my Lord,” Sho bowed, trying to hide his surprise and excitement. He had heard about the swordsmen in Edo castle, a special troop under Lord Tokugawa Yoshinao. They were prepared to become the leaders of the future Tokugawa’s military power in order to protect Japan from threats.

“You can choose one underling to travel with you to Edo, I leave the choice to you,” Lord Edo continued.

“Yes, my Lord,” Sho answered firmly.

“Now, let’s talk about our routine,” Lord Mito looked at everyone’s face while talking. He discussed the new policy from Tokugawa Shogunate, including the obligation to send the finest samurai to Edo once in six months to join a special training. The meeting ended at noon; all the captains returned to their respective dojo or chambers, but Sho brought his feet to the prison.

He didn’t know why, but the skinny thief had aroused his interest. Despite the dirty look, the thief had a nice face, should he have groomed himself better. Perhaps he was not just an ordinary criminal, maybe he did it because of some reason.

“Sho-dono,” the guard bowed at Sho as he walked in. The prison was located underground with poor visibility. It was cold, even in summer. Another guard led Sho towards the bars where the thief was kept. He crouched on the pile of straw, trying to keep his body warm. He lazily turned his head to the guard when they approached his cell.

“You’d better behead me instead of keeping me in this smelly prison,” the thief mumbled.

Sho squatted in front of the cell and looked at the thief’s pale face. “What’s your name?” he asked.

The thief ignored him and busied himself with the straw, trying to cover his bare feet to avoid the chilly air. Somehow, the scene sent a prickle to Sho’s stomach – something like pity.

“You must be hungry,” Sho continued. “Give him some food,” he ordered the guard.

“We’ve just given him a bowl of soup, Sho-dono,” the guard answered.

“Do you have any right to disobey my command?” Sho said in a cold tone.

“No, Sir.” The guard disappeared from sight as he went to get the food for the prisoner.

“Is this some kind of bribery?” the thief asked. He still acted with confidence despite his condition which made Sho even more curious. “Oh, but you can’t bribe a prisoner. I have nothing to give you in return.”

“What’s your name?” Sho repeated his question.

“Why do you want to know my name? You’ll behead me anyway.”

“I need something to call you,” Sho said. He sat down in front of the cell, watching the thief as he considered whether it was okay to give Sho his name.

“Ninomiya Kazunari,” the thief answered in a tiny voice, avoiding Sho’s eyes.

“Ninomiya,” Sho repeated the name. “Why are you stealing from people?”

Ninomiya chuckled silently as if Sho had said something funny. “You’re the most stupid samurai I’ve ever met, Sho-dono? Is that how they call you?”

Surprisingly, Sho didn’t feel offended when Ninomiya called him stupid. Nobody would do that at the castle; Sho was Lord Mito’s favorite captain, he could ask the Lord to eliminate people he didn’t like, nobody was stupid enough to look for trouble with him. He smiled at Ninomiya out of the blue.

“You’re funny,” he said. “It’s been forever since someone called me stupid.”

“They must have been more stupid than you,” Ninomiya mumbled.

Sho chuckled, “I guess you’re right.”

The guard returned with a bowl of rice and a piece of fish. He put the tray in front of Ninomiya’s cell with a disapproving look.

“Eat, you look extremely hungry,” Sho said, handing the rice bowl to Ninomiya.

Ninomiya took the bowl without any words and started eating. He only needed short time to finish all of the food. Sho watched him, he never seen someone ate like that; every samurai in Mito castle was taught table manners to avoid shame when they ate together with the higher ranked samurai in Edo. Somehow, Ninomiya’s way of eating showed how free his life was.

“So, when will you behead me?” Ninomiya asked lazily.

“We don’t behead a thief,” Sho said, standing up and ordering the guard to take care of the dirty bowls. “I’ll think of a proper punishment,” he added.

Ninomiya shrugged and returned to the pile of straw, crouching again. “Thanks for the food, Sho-dono,” he said without looking at Sho.

Sho smiled and left the prison. The warm sunshine welcomed him as he climbed up the stairs. It was weird that talking to Ninomiya had somehow boosted his mood. The thief didn’t show desperation, instead, he showed Sho that he could be a positive person. The dark and cold prison didn’t affect him that much, he was still a confident criminal, as if knowing that Sho would forgive him – in a way. The skinny thief had left a weird impression, but Sho liked it.

***

Sho had ordered the guards to give Ninomiya a blanket and a new kimono. The next time he visited the man, he had gained some weight. His cheeks were no longer sunken and the new kimono he was wearing fit him perfectly. He had also taken a bath and shaved; his appearance was very different compared to the first time Sho met him.

“Sho-dono,” he bowed playfully when Sho approached, but instead of paying respect, it looked more like mocking him.

“I’ve come up with a punishment,” Sho said.

“Oh, nice. This prison will kill me first with its smell if you don’t decide on my sentence,” Ninomiya answered, crossing his hands over his chest.

“You’ll become one of my underlings,” Sho said firmly.

Silence fell between them for a couple of minutes. It seemed that Ninomiya was trying to digest Sho’s words longer than usual.

“What?!” Ninomiya’s eyes widened. “Did you just say that I’ll be one of your underlings that you can command anytime?”

“Yes, it’s better than returning outside. You’ll become a thief again.”

“Wait, wait,” Ninomiya waved his hand. “Are you telling me that I’ll become a samurai? No way.”

“Technically, you can’t become a samurai,” Sho said. “But you can serve under me, like a personal guard.”

Ninomiya laughed dryly. “Are you serious? You must be insane.”

Sho inhaled deeply, he had braced himself for Ninomiya’s response. All of his underlings told him the same thing. There was no way they could make Ninomiya one of them – he was a thief with no clear background, he was a criminal that needed to be punished. But Sho insisted, he argued that people could change if they were given a chance, the same thing applied to Ninomiya. He promised that he would pry more information about the man and he would prove that the thief could also become a fine soldier. He had made a special request to Lord Mito and got his approval.

“If you disagree, then I’ll cancel my decision and leave your case to another samurai. They are mostly not nice, you know,” Sho said, trying to pursue Ninomiya. It was perhaps the craziest thing he had done in his life, but he just wanted to save this young man from his agonising life. He believed that Ninomiya could change and lead a better life.

Ninomiya thought deeply; he had no choice, though. If he declined Sho’s demand, then he had to remain in prison for how long – only deities knew.

“Alright,” Ninomiya said after many long minutes. “I’ll join your damn troop.”

Sho smiled. “Let’s go then.”

“Now?” Ninomiya said in surprise.

“Yes, we have not much time left,” Sho replied, ordering the guard to unlock the prison cell.

Ninomiya froze for a moment as if trying to grasp what was just happened. He was freed from the dark prison after a couple of weeks, he was offered a chance to become a soldier, a personal companion to a samurai – perhaps it wasn’t something he really expected when he stole people’s money in the kabuki hall.

He followed Sho outside of the underground prison, inhaling a few deep breaths as he was under the warm summer sunshine. Sho had just realized that Ninomiya’s skin was very fair; he had a nice facial contour with two moles under his lips. His black hair was in a mess, but it didn’t reduce his handsomeness.

The regular three-times-a-day meal had helped him in getting a ‘normal’ shape. His collarbones no longer stood out, his cheeks were full and reddened under the heat. He was way shorter than Sho; his petite figure had made him look younger, Sho guessed that Ninomiya was around 24 or 25 years old.

“The security in this castle is very tight, I have ordered everyone to cut your hand, should you steal again,” Sho said, trying to sound threatening, but his voice came out like a wise advice from a principal to his students.

“Yes, Master,” Ninomiya answered playfully.

“You’re my full responsibility,” Sho said as they reached the area towards his chamber. “I hope you’ll cooperate well and don’t make any disruptions.”

“I’m not used to this kind of life, perhaps I’ll make some mistakes. I’m uneducated, I lived on the street all my life…”

“You’re smart enough for an uneducated person,” Sho cut him.

“Well,” Ninomiya shrugged. “That’s only a coincidence.”

Sho led Ninomiya towards his chamber, letting the man admire the size of the rooms, the high-quality tatami floor, the collection of swords hung on the wall, the red kacchu* which was stored in the smaller room beside the main one, and finally the backyard with various kind of trees.

“You’ll stay here until I get a room for you in my underlings’ residence,” Sho said while sitting down on the floor, gesturing Ninomiya to do the same.

“This place is very comfortable,” Ninomiya said, laying down clumsily on the tatami floor. “So, when will I begin my training?” he asked, supporting his body with his elbow while looking at Sho with what was nearly an adoring face.

“Tomorrow morning, and first, we have to do something with your attitude,” Sho said.

Ninomiya pushed himself off of the floor and sat down properly, but Sho could see how he tried not to laugh. Damn, he should have let this man rot in the prison.

“We’ll see what kind of weapon you’re good at, but I always expect my underlings to be an expert in using swords, because that’s our standard in becoming a fine samurai. I know you’re not a samurai, but that doesn’t mean you can’t become a nice warrior.”

Ninomiya smiled at Sho while nodding – the first obedience he had showed Sho so far. The smile was innocent which made Sho rather awkward; people rarely smiled in this castle, even if they did, it had to do with a hidden motive behind them.

After making sure that Ninomiya wouldn’t blow up the chamber, Sho left him alone. A guard had delivered a message from Lord Mito which demanded him to attend a sudden meeting regarding his upcoming travel to Edo.

“Sho, I’ve been expecting you,” Lord Mito said as Sho arrived at the Lord’s dojo. “I have received a letter from Edo this morning. They expect you to be there within a month, have you decided who would become your companion?”

“I haven’t made my choice, my Lord,” Sho answered. “I will do it as soon as possible.”

“Good,” the Lord handed him the letter and gave him some time to read it.

It was a short notice about the joint training in Edo. The best swordsmen troop under Lord Tokugawa Yoshinao’s command was called Akatsuki which was led by a man named Ohno Satoshi. Sho would be participating in the training for a year with another five samurai from different han*.

“I hope you can bring honor to Mito clan and come back here as a more dedicated warrior,” Lord Mito said when Sho was about to leave his chamber.

“Yes, my Lord. I will do my best for our clan,” Sho bowed deeply and headed back to his personal chamber.

He wanted to prove himself in Edo that he was a qualified samurai. He knew that the finest soldiers would be summoned to serve in Edo and he had been dreaming of becoming one. Sho never heard of this Ohno Satoshi, but he was sure that he could impress the man with his sword technique. With that optimistic thought, he walked back towards his chamber.

TBC

AN: Long time no see


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sandal's bearer is a high-rank position during feudal Japan.

Sho’s decision to let Ninomiya participate in his troops training was viewed negatively by his subordinates. They were even more irritated when Ninomiya showed a much better skill in using weapons – something that Sho didn’t expect from the thief.

“Where did you learn it?” Sho asked as they walked together back to his chamber.

“On the street from a homeless samurai,” Ninomiya replied briefly. He didn’t show his ill-mannered attitude during the training which made Sho grateful. It seemed Ninomiya could be a serious man if he wanted to.

Sho couldn’t tell whether Ninomiya was telling him the truth or he simply lied to shorten the story, but it didn’t matter. He thought that he had found the right guy to travel with him to Edo for the special training with the Akatsuki troop. He knew his decision would cause an uproar and in order to avoid that, he had a plan. Perhaps the swords battle would be nice enough – the winner would be chosen to be his companion to Edo.

Ninomiya didn’t speak much; he finished the dinner quickly and left Sho, heading towards his room. Sho took a longer time to finish his dinner, thinking of his plan to hold a sword battle. Lord Mito as well as his underlings would question his motive, but Sho had prepared an argument. 

Sho woke up earlier the next day and waited for Ninomiya at the dining table for breakfast. The man joined him a moment later, with a messy hair and sleepy face.

“It’s so early, Sho-dono,” he mumbled, taking the chopsticks with eyes half closed.

“I need to talk about an important thing before the training,” Sho said.

“What is it? Am I disqualified?” Ninomiya asked without any interest.

“It’s the opposite,” Sho answered gladly. “I’ll announce that you’ll be my companion to Edo…”

Ninomiya murmured something which heard like ‘don’t be kidding me with something like that’

“…but you have to win the swords battle against my best underlings,” Sho finished his sentence, waiting for Ninomiya’s reaction, but all he got was a sleepy face, struggling to stay awake.

“What’s so good about Edo?” Ninomiya asked after chewing a big slice of radish.

“You’ll never know until you go there,” Sho gave a slight smile to the man.

***

Sho’s idea for a swords battle was welcomed by Lord Mito; it was the proper way to measure the skill of a samurai. The Lord even attended the battle which was good news for Sho – nobody would dare to cause an outrage if the clan’s leader was present. He took a seat beside the Lord, watching as the first battle was about to begin. Sho had twelve underlings, but only six were qualified to join; he had made a brief selection this morning and was satisfied with his choice. He glanced at Ninomiya who sat down at the furthest end of the line; his eyes locked to the pair who started the battle. Sho swore he saw a glimpse of smirk on Ninomiya’s lips as he watched the battle, but when he blinked, the smirk had faded, replaced by a serious expression. Perhaps Sho only imagined it.

The first battle ended with Yokoyama as the winner. The second battle was between Ueda and Yamada – Ueda only needed a couple of minutes to win it. The last one was Ninomiya and Satou; Sho could see how Satou’s eyes were on fire as he looked at Ninomiya with an utmost dislike. If it wasn’t because of the sudden appearance of the man, he would have become the strongest candidate for Sho’s companion to Edo.

Ninomiya, on the other hand was as calm as a lake. He encountered Satou’s attacks with flawless movement – almost effortless. His grip on the sword’s handle seemed loose, but also tight at the same time. He made a complicated turn and attacked Satou this time; his movement was so fast that Sho couldn’t follow it properly. The next time he saw Ninomiya’s sword on Satou’s neck.

Lord Mito clapped his hand unexpectedly, followed by everyone in the dojo. Sho’s eyes met with Ninomiya’s, he gave the man an encouraging nod.

The next battle was between Ninomiya and Ueda, but their skill had a huge gap which made Ninomiya win rather easily. Same thing happened with Yokoyama where Ninomiya forced him to let go of his sword on his third movement.

“I guess you’ve found your best companion, Sho,” Lord Mito patted Sho’s shoulder lightly as he left the dojo. Sho bowed in respect, waiting until the Lord couldn’t be seen anymore before returning inside. Ninomiya was sitting across from Sho’s other underlings with eyes locked at the dojo wooden floor. He lifted his gaze when Sho entered.

“We’ll depart next week,” Sho said shortly.

“Yes, Sho-dono,” Ninomiya answered immediately.

Satou and the rest of the troops left the dojo without any words, a deep disappointment was clearly imprinted on their faces. Sho ignored them, Ninomiya won the battle fairly and he had proven that his skill was far better than everyone.

Both of them trained intensively prior to their departure to Edo. Ninomiya received special lessons to adjust his manner and behavior during his upcoming stay in Edo. Sho could see how the man frowned every time the teacher fixed his way of holding the bowl or his way of slurping the soup.

“Do I really need it?” he asked the teacher blatantly on the third day of their lessons. The ‘manner adjustment’ – as Ninomiya called it, was held in Sho’s chamber. Sho was there all the time to watch Ninomiya’s progress and to help the teacher because Ninomiya kept on protesting and refusing to do what was requested.

“We’ll be meeting high-rank samuraiin Edo, we don’t want to show our awful manners, Nino,” Sho said.

“Since when did my name change?” Ninomiya asked, but his tone didn’t show a disliking.

“Your name is too long,” Sho replied, smiling at Nino as he grimaced after kneeling down for some time.

For a former thief, Nino was very smart. He might be complaining all the time, but he could remember the details within a short period of time. On the fourth day, he got his hair renewed with the formal chonmage style. The chonmage in Mito castle didn’t require them to shave the pate; Sho’s hair was only tied up in a bun and he left his bangs covering half of his forehead. Nino’s hair wasn’t that long; but the hairdresser of the castle worked his best to tie it on the back of Nino’s head.

The new hairstyle revealed Nino’s complete facial contour which was surprisingly pretty. Sho had been aware that Nino was cute since the first time he saw the man, but his recent look was even cuter. He had a hard time not staring at the man in front of him.

“Am I weird?” Nino asked, touching his hair bun.

“No,” Sho shook his head confusedly. “It suits you.”

He pretended that he had something to do in his chambers and told Nino to start packing his stuff for their travel. He didn’t like the sudden increasing heartbeat when he saw Nino’s face, it wasn’t something Sho expected when he decided to save Nino’s life. It wasn’t proper for a bushi like him. It would be a disgusting scandal if he didn’t control his feelings; he must refrain from doing something stupid.

Nino was just a companion – nothing more.

***

Lord Mito provided the best horses for Sho and Nino to travel to Edo. They would be accompanied by ten other troops who were carrying food supplies and souvenirs from Lord Mito to Tokugawa Yoshinao. Both Sho and Nino wore kimonos with Mito’s clan symbol embroidered on its chest. Nobody would have guessed that Nino was a thief a few months earlier. The attitude lessons had worked very well on Nino, he was no longer an ill-mannered boy, on the contrary, he was a person with dignity.

The well-behaved Nino, however, only lasted for a few hours. He returned to his usual self as soon as they left Mito clan’s territory.

“My waist aches,” he said to Sho. “My shoulders too,” he massaged his own shoulder while looking at Sho from his horse’s back. “I’ll die before we reach Edo.”

“Are you saying that you’ll give up? After all the difficulties I’ve been through to get you here?” Sho asked, irritated.

“I didn’t say that, Sho-chan.”

“Watch your mouth, Ninomiya,” Sho hissed from the corner of his lips.

“Hey, you’re the one who gave me a nickname. Why can’t I do the same?”

“It’s different,” Sho replied.

“Alright, alright. I’m not equal to a samurai. Please forgive my rudeness, Sho-dono,” Nino bowed slightly while giving Sho a broad smile.

Sho inhaled a deep breath, it felt like travelling with a mischievous kid. Nino talked about his years as a thief along the way, he told Sho that he belonged to a group a long time ago. They had to steal a certain number of things once a week and deliver them to the broker. Most of the group members were arrested as their operations were known by samurai. Nino was one of the last members who escaped arrest; he began his life as a pickpocket thief ever since.

“Why did you steal at the kabuki hall, knowing that a samurai was there?” Sho asked as Nino ended his monologue.

“I didn’t know you were a samurai,” Nino replied. “It was my first time in Mito. The samurai I know would have travelled with some companions, they didn’t go to watch a cheap kabuki show by themselves.”

“That kabuki show is the best in Mito,” Sho mumbled.

“Oh, really?” Nino rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen the better ones in Kyoto.”

“I thought a thief doesn’t enjoy performing arts,” Sho commented.

“That’s the best place to steal,” Nino smiled amusingly. “Everyone’s attention is on the stage, they have no idea their wallet is missing.”

“That makes sense,” Sho flashed a weak smile at the man. He just hoped that Nino had really changed and wouldn’t do something stupid in Edo castle. As far as he knew, the samurai in Edo were cold-blooded. They didn’t forgive misbehavior that easily, dignity was their utmost concern.

The trip to Edo took two days. They spent the night in an old inn at the borderline of Edo. He and Nino shared a room; Nino fell asleep immediately as his head touched the pillow, but Sho couldn’t sleep until past midnight. He watched Nino’s sleeping face – it was probably the most peaceful face he had ever seen in his life.

Sho couldn’t tell whether he had made the right decision in taking Nino as his companion to Edo, given Nino’s unclear background, but he couldn’t explain why he felt attached to the man. Was this pity? Or was it curiosity? Or perhaps, simply because Nino was cute. The last possibility seemed to not make any sense to Sho. He didn’t trust other people just because they were cute.

“…the sword…” Nino mumbled unclearly in his sleep.

Sho leaned to him, but it was clear that Nino was still sound asleep. He tried to close his eyes, ignoring the strange nervousness he felt in his chest. He would train under Akatsuki troop – the best samurai in Edo castle. He would be gathering with samurai from other feudal lords across Japan; it would be a place where he could prove himself as a capable soldier. The sleepy feeling finally came; Sho dreamt of a wide meadow, Nino was standing in the middle of it with a complete samurai armor. His right hand was holding a sword, he was bleeding, as if he had just come back from a battlefield. Sho tried to call him, but his voice was swallowed by the strong wind.

***

“Ohno-san, do you need something before the performance?” Jun asked the man while handing a cup of tea to him.

“No, I’m fine,” Ohno said, receiving the cup from Jun and drinking the tea carefully.

“Lord Yoshinao is here to watch your performance,” Jun informed.

Ohno nodded, handing the empty cup to Jun and fixing his heavy kimono. Aside from becoming the captain of Akatsuki troop and the most capable swordsman in the entire Edo castle, Ohno was also a kabuki performer. He usually played the women roles otherwise known as onnagata; he was a completely different person every time he wore the costumes and make-up.

Jun, as Ohno’s sandal bearer* was tasked to assist him. He basically stayed by Ohno’s side all the time, making sure that the man got all he needed. Today’s performance would be the last for Ohno before the intensive training of Akatsuki began on the next day. Jun actually had reminded the captain that it wasn’t the right time to receive an offer to perform kabuki, but Ohno insisted. He told Jun that it was his obligation to perform – becoming a kabuki artist was a part of his dedication to Tokugawa clan.

Jun helped him climb the stairs to the main stage where he would make an appearance. He peered through the small space between the curtains; the performing hall audience was full; Lord Yoshinao was sitting in the VIP seat, he was busily talking with someone beside him.

The samisen was played as the sign for Ohno to appear on stage; Jun opened the curtain from behind and closed it right after. He could hear the applause from the audience as Ohno started his opening dance. He climbed down the stairs and took care of Ohno’s kimono alongside his sword. The man would perform for an hour and would leave the hall immediately for a final check of their activity on the following day.

Jun had read the list of samurai who would join Akatsuki; there were six clans in total with two representatives from each. As far as he remembered, Ohno never took apprentices. This training was Lord Yoshinao’s plan and Ohno had no choice but to obey the Lord’s command. Jun couldn’t imagine how Ohno would train those samurai; he had been serving under the man for more than five years, but not even once, had Ohno trained him, given his reputation as the best swordsman in the castle. He remembered how his friends were jealous of him when he was chosen to become Ohno’s sandal bearer. Jun had asked Ohno to train him with his sword technique, but all Ohno said was everyone had their own style and perhaps his skill won’t fit Jun.

How could that kind of reluctant person become a main trainer for samurai from other clans? What was Lord Yoshinao thinking?

Jun was ready at the curtain once again as Ohno ended his performance. He opened the curtain, waiting for Ohno to exit the stage. He followed Ohno’s steps towards the dressing room and quickly helped the man to take off his make-up and kimono.

A few minutes later, Ohno had returned to his normal appearance. He was way shorter and skinnier than Jun, his skin was rather tanned as a result from his outside training. Instead of chonmage, he cut his hair short which was actually forbidden, but Ohno seemed not to care about such a rule.

Jun handed him the sword as Ohno finished donning his kimono; the man took it and inserted it into his belt.

“I’ll take a quick look at the reception hall, please handle the rest. There’s something I need to do tonight,” Ohno said.

“Yes, Ohno-san,” Jun answered immediately. “I have prepared tomorrow’s schedule on your work desk.”

“Thanks,” Ohno said, walking ahead of Jun through the corridors towards the reception hall which was located in the other side of the castle.

Edo castle was a huge place; they sometimes needed an hour to reach the other side of the compound. The lower rank samurai bowed to Ohno as he passed through the paths and corridors. Jun always felt proud of himself as one of Ohno’s most trusted underlings. Everyone wanted to approach him as their way to be closer to Ohno, but he usually kept his distance from those people.

It was about time for Lord Yoshinao to appoint Ohno as a feudal lord; the gossip had spread all over the castle and Jun knew that not everybody was happy about it.

“Good evening, Ohno-san,” the person in charge for tomorrow’s welcoming ceremony, Kamenashi Kazuya approached them as they reached the hall.

Ohno nodded in response and stepped quickly from corner to corner, making sure that each symbol of the different clans was placed properly. He then checked the swords which would be awarded to the twelve samurai as the symbol that they had become a part of Akatsuki.

“Everything’s good, thank you for your hard work, Kame-chan,” Ohno said.

“Thank you for your compliment, Ohno-san,” Kame bowed deeply to Ohno. He couldn’t hide his excitement which somehow amused Jun. Perhaps he liked how Ohno called him ‘Kame-chan’ or how Ohno treated him with a friendly manner.

“I’ll leave the rest to you, Jun,” Ohno said.

Jun nodded.

Ohno left the hall with speedy steps. It was unusual for him to not take Jun along with him, perhaps it was a private matter. Jun approached Kame and once again they made a final check around the hall.

***

Sho and Nino arrived at their compound inside Edo castle at sunset. They were welcomed and guided by a young servant; he took them to the chamber where they would spend their night. Sho’s chamber was slightly bigger than Nino’s. It would be the first time for Sho to stay at a separate building than Nino after a month of living under the same roof. He wished Nino a good night before heading to his own room.

When Sho traveled to Edo for the annual feudal lords gathering, he usually stayed at the room near Lord Mito. The compound itself was located at the western side of the castle. He never paid any visit to this side; it was Lord Yoshinao’s private quarters, which according to rumor was raising a number of future feudal lords in order to dominate a certain part of Japan.

He stretched his limbs and slumped tiredly to the tatami floor. He could hear some noise outside, it seemed that the other representatives had arrived earlier here. A man with a high-pitched voice was talking with the utmost excitement to his friend.

“Did you notice the onnagata role? He’s Ohno Satoshi, the one who will train us. I can’t believe it, he looks fragile.”

His friend replied, but Sho couldn’t hear what they said as they walked further from his room. The mysterious Ohno Satoshi, the strongest swordsman inside Edo castle. Sho was surprised that Ohno was very popular at Edo; he felt stupid that he had never paid any attention to that name before. He slowly rose off from the floor, ate the provided dinner, took a long bath, and slept.

Nino was waiting for Sho outside of his chamber the next morning. He wore a nice deep blue kimono with a dark obi around his waist. He smiled at Sho as he approached.

“Did you get a nice sleep?” Sho asked.

“Sort of,” Nino shrugged. “My neighbor talked until midnight, his voice could be heard all over the place. I wonder why nobody broke into his room just to shut him up.”

“Was he the man with the high pitched voice?” Sho confirmed.

“Yes, did you hear him? His voice was so annoying.”

Sho briefly explained how the man talked about the kabuki show he had watched.

“I’ll teach him a lesson if he makes a noise again tonight,” Nino mumbled angrily.

“It’s better to report him to the person in charge. It’s not wise to cause an uproar here,” Sho patted Nino’s shoulder lightly.

They walked side by side towards the reception hall. Some samurai were already taking their place based on the clan’s symbol. Sho and Nino walked towards Mito clan’s flag and took a seat on the tatami floor nearby it.

“Where’s our symbol?” the same high-pitched voice was heard from the entrance.

Sho turned his gaze to the owner of the voice; a tall man with a dark green kimono was in the doorframe, spreading his gaze all over the room to find his clan symbol.

“Ah! There it is,” he happily pointed in Sho and Nino’s direction.

Sho craned his neck to the symbol beside Mito clan and found a green flag with the Mogami clan symbol. The high-pitched man stepped excitedly towards the symbol, a shorter man followed behind him.

“Excuse me,” he said, sitting beside Nino. “You guys must be Mito clan’s samurai. Please let me introduce myself, I’m Aiba Masaki of Mogami clan, nice to meet you.”

Nino raised his brows and exchanged a look with Sho as if trying to tell him that this Aiba was much worse than him in terms of behavior.

“My name is Sakurai Sho, nice to meet you, Aiba-dono,” Sho bowed slightly.

“This is Kazama, my companion,” Aiba said, clearly not bothered by Sho’s cold acceptance. “Did you guys watch yesterday’s kabuki. Ohno-san looked so pretty, he played a woman’s role.”

“We’ve just arrived yesterday evening,” Sho answered.

“That’s a pity, right, Kazama. You should watch Ohno-san next time.”

“Sure, but now, could you please shut up?!” Nino said impatiently.

Aiba grinned, but it seemed that he wasn’t affected by Nino’s dislike. He continued whispering something to Kazama until a figure entered the hall.

“Ohno Satoshi will be arriving soon, please be ready,” he announced.

All of them bowed lowly to the floor, waiting in silence. Sho could hear Aiba whisper the last word to Kazama before the door opened, revealing footsteps and the sound from a kimono.

“Raise your head, gentlemen,” a deep voice was heard.

Sho and the rest of samurai in the hall raised their heads. There were three men sitting down in front of them, the man on the left side was the person in charge that they had seen this morning. The man on the right side had a serious face and extremely thick eyebrows. The man at the center must be Ohno, but instead of a bulky-muscular samurai, he was skinny. His short hair was sticking out everywhere, his eyes looked unfocused and rather sleepy. He was probably slightly older than Sho, but there was a childish appearance to his face.

“Welcome to Edo,” Ohno spoke with a rather soft voice as if he was not confident with what he said. “I’m glad that you all made it safely to the capital. We’ll be training as the same troop for the next six months. Thus, I ask you to leave your clan identity for a while and become a member of Akatsuki. Lord Yoshinao wants to provide the best skills for the most capable samurai from each clan in order to maintain peace and stability in your respective territory. The Lord trusts this important task to me, but it doesn’t mean I’m more capable than all of you, I’m sure we can learn from each other for the upcoming six months.”

“Now, as a symbol that you’ll become the part of Akatsuki, we’ll hand a sword to each of you. They were made specifically for this training. We hope all of you can use it well during our intensive training,” Ohno ended his speech and gave a code to the men on each of his sides to start the handover of the swords.

Sho took a closer look at Ohno. He couldn’t believe that this man was the strongest swordsman; he was as skinny as Nino, there was no sign that he was capable of defeating his enemies. Sho perhaps could win the battle in one-go with him. He turned to Nino to tell him what he thought of Ohno, but Nino’s eyes were focusing on the man.

It was an admiration look, no, it was something else.

Sho felt a pang inside his chest. He glanced at Ohno who was talking to a samurai from Asakusa clan; a sudden dislike grew inside him – something that he couldn’t name.

“Sakurai Sho-san,” the man with thick eyebrows called his name. “Here’s your sword,” he said.

Sho took the sword which was surprisingly heavy. “Thank you,” he said.

The man smiled, erasing the serious image from his face. “My name is Matsumoto Jun, I’m Ohno Satoshi’s sandal bearer,” he said with an utmost confidence and pride in his voice.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Matsumoto-san,” Sho said.

“I hope you’ll enjoy the training,” he bowed to Sho and Nino before returning to Ohno’s side.

Sho could see how Nino followed Matsumoto’s movement, but he averted his gaze immediately when he realized Sho was looking at him.

“Seems fun, eh?” Nino said, grinning.

“I guess,” Sho answered briefly.

“Hi, guys,” Aiba approached them again as he received the sword from Kamenashi (the man who was in charge since the beginning). “Do you have time for tea? Our training starts tomorrow, we’re free until evening.”

“No, thanks,” Sho and Nino replied in unison.

TBC .


	3. Chapter 3

Sho and Nino were the first to arrive at the training clearing on the next day. They waited in the corner while taking a look at the massive park nearby the clearing. Huge trees lined up nicely, hiding the castle from the outside world; the birds were chirping happily above them. Soft breeze blew their skin, it was nearly fall, and the air had turned colder. Sho moved his sight from the trees to Nino; he didn’t like the sensation inside his chest. Nino’s admiring gaze towards Ohno the day before bothered him to no end; he wanted that same look from the younger man so badly.

“Nino…” he called, but before Nino could respond to that, the other samurai had finally come. They were separated as the training was about to begin.

Ohno arrived a few minutes later with Jun following closely behind him. He carried a sword in each of his hands; his sleepy expression didn’t change and he spoke with the same soft voice that was hard to catch.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” he said. “Today’s training section will be the selection. I’ll measure your sword ability, one by one. The advance samurai will train under me, those who are still in the intermediate level will train with Jun.”

Sho could feel how the other samurai reacted in excitement, mixed with anxiety – just like what he felt.

“Do your best, Kazama.”

Sho heard Aiba whisper to his friend. He wanted to tell Nino the same thing, but the man was standing a few meters away from him.

“Without further ado, who wants to fight me first?” Ohno asked, spreading his gaze around. “If none of you volunteer, I’ll decide,” he added.

Nobody lifted their hand for the time being. It was intimidating to fight Ohno in front of everybody else. It would be embarrassing if they lost in the first attack. Ohno shifted his gaze around them as if measuring their ability; he was about to appoint someone when Nino’s hand hung in the air. 

“I will.”

Everyone looked at Nino, feeling relief that they didn’t need to fight Ohno first. Sho tried to make eye contact, wishing he could tell Nino good luck, but the man’s concentration was fully on Ohno.

Ohno smirked and nodded. “State your name.”

“Ninomiya Kazunari,” Nino said with confidence that Sho never seen before. “From Mito clan,” he added.

“Good,” Ohno said, throwing one of his swords to Matsumoto. He drew the remaining sword and gave Nino a signal to do the same.

Sho and the rest of the samurai stepped back to give enough space to Ohno and Nino. Ohno’s expression had changed, the sleepy eyes were gone, replaced by a cold gaze. The man looked ready to kill; Sho only hoped that Ohno wouldn’t injure Nino for real. Nino drew the heavy sword they received the day before and held it tightly with both of his hands. It was clear that the sword weighed him down. Ohno meanwhile held it as if it was as light as a knife; he stepped forward and started the fight.

***

Nino gripped the sword tightly, ready to encounter Ohno’s attack. He knew it was unfair that Ohno had already got used to the heavy sword, but it was a selection after all, the most important was the skill he possessed. Ohno’s movement was fast, his skinny figure had given him so much advantage in close range battle. The man swung his sword to Nino who encountered it just in time, the crushing metal sound rung loudly as their swords met. Ohno’s face was only a few inches from Nino; it wasn’t the right time to admire someone’s appearance, but Nino couldn’t control himself from staring into Ohno’s handsome face that had attracted him since the first time he saw the man.

He had come to the conclusion that Ohno was attractive; a little mysteriousness in his expression had aroused Nino’s curiosity. Ohno’s thin lips curved into a weak smile as he saw Nino’s efforts to push him forward.

“You’re stronger than I expected,” Ohno said.

“An appearance could deceive,” Nino answered.

“Let’s see how far you can defend yourself,” Ohno hissed.

Ohno pulled further before waging another attack; he swung his sword in a complicated movement to distract Nino, but the latter could read the pattern. He moved forward and countered Ohno’s attack at the right time, but the heavy sword had worn him out. He wobbled and felt the end of Ohno’s sword touched the skin of his neck.

“Nice movement, Ninomiya,” Ohno said.

“Thank you,” Nino replied, bowing at Ohno and the audiences before leaving the clearing to the side. Sho welcomed him with a pat on his shoulder, like a worried big brother.

“You’re great,” Sho praised him.

“He defeated me in just two moves,” Nino shook his head in disappointment.

“He’s the expert in swords battle, I’d be surprised if you won,” Sho said, giving Nino a soft smile.

Nino nodded, perhaps it was just a hunch, but it seemed that Sho had paid attention to him more than what he did back in Mito castle. It bothered him; he never expected Sho would have trusted someone that easily without a proper background check. Nino didn’t complain, though. Sho probably would be the first and the last person who trusted a former thief like him.

“Next,” Ohno called to the audience.

Aiba was the one who lifted his hand. His movement was good, but he couldn’t control his sword that well. Ohno defeated him easily with only a simple movement.

Sho took the fifth turn – he looked more serious than he already was. Nino watched the battle carefully; Ohno and Sho were probably equal in physical power, but Ohno’s technique was far above Sho’s. He could block Sho’s attack without much effort, the furthest thing Sho could do was touching Ohno’s right arm with the back of his sword.

Ohno took a longer time to defeat Sho and when the battle ended, the audiences clapped their hands to appreciate Sho’s efforts.

“That was great,” Nino said as Sho approached him. There was a little wound on his cheek and it was bleeding. “You’re injured,” Nino wiped the blood carefully with the tip of his fingers. Sho’s expression changed when Nino touched him; the man smiled awkwardly and mumbled that he was alright.

They sat side by side, watching the subsequent battles. Nobody fought Ohno longer than Sho; everyone was defeated rather easily. When everyone already had their turn, Ohno returned his sword to its scabbard in style and gave a signal to Jun to come closer.

Nino shifted his gaze to Jun who approached Ohno quickly; he had seen many sandal bearers before, but none of them showed a full loyalty like what Jun did to Ohno. Nino could see it from the way Jun was looking at Ohno, from the way he spoke of his lord, and from his gestures in answering Ohno’s command. Perhaps Jun had a hidden feeling towards Ohno – something that Nino needed to find out, if he got enough time.

Ohno talked to Jun in a low voice that no one could hear. Jun nodded a few times while glancing at the samurai before him. They finished the talk and once again returned their attention to the waiting audience.

“We’ve made our decisions,” Ohno announced with a firm expression on his face. “Ninomiya, Sakurai, Aiba, Ikuta, Fujigaya, and Ueda will train under me. The rest will be with Jun,” Ohno paused, giving them some time to grasp in which group they would go. “This is not a final decision, if your performance is poorer than what I expected, I’ll move you to the basic level. Any questions?”

“Can we ask for a private lesson?” Nino asked.

“We don’t provide such a thing,” Jun answered. “If you want to improve your skill, you can train by yourself as long as you like, Ninomiya-san,” he stressed on Nino’s name. The latter averted his gaze away from the man; somehow, Jun’s big eyes were not a pleasant thing to stare at.

“I’ll end it here. You can train all you like and I’ll check on your progress tomorrow,” Ohno said. He left the clearing afterwards with Jun behind him who looked like a big guardian dog.

“That Matsujun pissed me off,” Aiba said to Nino. He had stood right beside him without him noticing it.

“Matsujun?” Nino confirmed.

“Yeah, Matsujun. His name is too long,” Aiba grinned. “Kazama will train under him, I hope he’ll not get too stressed.”

“You’re right, he’s not a pleasant person,” Nino said, but his mind wasn’t on Jun at all. He thought of Ohno; of his ability in using swords. What kind of training had Ohno done to possess that kind of high skill?

Aside from the man’s ability, Nino also noticed the reluctance in Ohno’s gesture. He probably never trained someone before now and he wasn’t the type of a person who liked to show-off. He expected them to have progress overnight, it was almost impossible, except for someone like Sho who loved to train himself to death.

“Nino-chan, would you like to train with me?” Aiba asked.

“Hah?” Nino raised his eyebrows.

“Your technique is so much better than me. I don’t want to be transferred under that Matsujun,” the man continued with such a miserable look.

Nino really wanted to say that it was none of his business if Aiba got transferred to Matsujun’s troops, but the words got stuck in his throat.

“Alright,” he answered.

“Thank you,” Aiba beamed. “Are all samurai in Mito possessing a good sword technique?”

The honest answer would be ‘I don’t know’, but it would be troublesome if Nino had to explain that he wasn’t Mito’s samurai. Aiba probably would scream in surprise if Nino said that he was a thief until three months ago.

“Yes. Sho-san trained us very well,” Nino answered, flashing a fake smile at Aiba.

Nino searched for Sho; the man was explaining his technique to a samurai from Takeda clan – someone called Ikuta. Nino recalled how Ohno knocked Ikuta within ten seconds; the man might be tall and muscular, but Ohno was much stronger and faster.

He moved his gaze away from Sho and Ikuta, then began his training session with Aiba who happened to handle the heavy sword worse than Nino.

“This sword is hell,” Aiba said, panting hard as they finished their first session.

“It seems that our first progress will be hurting our muscles,” Nino agreed, sitting down beside Aiba.

At the end of the day, none of them could handle the sword perfectly. All of them left the clearing with aching arms. Sho and Nino walked together towards their chambers while massaging their upper arm.

“Aiba-san seems a nice guy,” Sho commented.

“He’s nice, only he talks too much,” Nino replied.

Sho seemed to want to convey something, but no words would pass his lips. He gave Nino a friendly pat before separating to their respective rooms. Nino watched the man disappear behind his door; he turned around and headed towards the path which led him to the private area of the higher ranked samurai.

He knew it was forbidden for him to be here, but his curiosity won out. As a former thief, he had learnt how to find secret paths to the hidden chambers. Edo castle was huge; the private quarters for high ranked samurai weren’t separated properly, mainly in Lord Yoshinao’s residence. Nino guessed it was because the Lord let his underlings choose whatever areas they liked to reside. 

It was easy to find Ohno’s residence; the building was located at the eastern side of the training field. There were two guards in front of the gate; they looked rather bored and sleepy. Nino took the path towards the back yard through the line of trees; he climbed one of them to jump across the wall to Ohno’s quarters. He landed quietly like a cat and walked slowly until he found what he was looking for.

Ohno was practicing swords by himself; he was topless despite the cold air. The muscles on his upper arms, his abs, and his shoulders moved in a nice rhythm as he swung the swords in both of his hands. Ohno was muscular, but he wasn’t bulky, his body looked solid and there was no room for fat. Ohno’s sweat poured, wetting his face, his neck, and his abs. It seemed that he had been practicing for quite a long time.

The sword movements were complicated and it was too fast to follow. Ohno even didn’t demonstrate any of those movements this morning. Nino’s thought flew to Sho; no matter how good Sho’s technique was, he was no match for Ohno.

Nino didn’t know how long had he been staring at Ohno when a cold metal touched his skin. Ohno was behind him, one of his swords was on Nino’s neck; he moved so fast that Nino had no time to hide.

“What are you doing here?” Ohno said, pressing the sword stronger onto Nino’s skin.

“I…didn’t mean to do something bad,” Nino stammered.

“I’m eligible to behead you right here for intruding into my private quarters.”

“Please forgive me for my rudeness, Ohno-san,” Nino said; he could feel the blood on his neck as Ohno pressed the sword deeper into his skin.

Ohno let go of him, but still pointed the sword into Nino’s neck. “You’ll get your punishment tomorrow,” Ohno said, lowering his sword down. “But if you infiltrate this quarters once again, I’ll make sure that your neck will be separated from your body.”

“Thank you, Ohno-san,” Nino bowed down.

Ohno wore his upper kimono and led Nino towards the front door. “Jun,” he called.

Jun appeared from the chamber on the left side; he showed a surprised expression, but trying hard to suppress it. His eyes went to Nino with an unreadable look.

“Take this man back to his chamber,” Ohno ordered.

“Yes, Ohno-san,” Jun obeyed, approaching Nino and dragging him by the elbow.

“Make sure he’s safe inside his room,” Ohno added as they walked over the threshold.

Nino freed himself from Jun’s grip when they were far enough from Ohno’s quarters.

“It’s a miracle that Ohno-san didn’t behead you,” Jun commented coldly. “What were you doing there?”

“I was lost,” Nino lied.

Jun snorted amusedly. “The private compound is surrounded by walls; you must be very stupid that you didn’t see them.”

“Perhaps,” Nino replied briefly. It was better to let Jun speculate by himself than telling him the truth. Besides, Ohno mentioned about the punishment; it would be enough for Nino to do some self-introspection. “Good night, Matsumoto-san,” he said as they reached his chamber.

Jun watched him until Nino closed the door behind him; that man surely looked like a big guard dog. Nino quickly ate his dinner, took a bath, and headed towards his bedroom. He drew something from below his pillow – the map of Edo castle. He marked the position of Ohno’s private quarters and made a note on a separate paper about the details of the place. That was when he recalled Ohno’s perfect abs that was wet from his sweat.

It must be fantastic if he could touch that body with his own fingers. But it wasn’t the right time to think of someone’s abs; there were many things he needed to worry about – tomorrow’s punishment would be one of them.

***

When Nino and Sho arrived at clearing on the following morning, they found Ohno was already there. They greeted the man and took their position, trying to ignore the cold drizzle that had been dropping since yesterday night. The other samurai joined them a few minutes later, bowing lowly at Ohno before taking their own position.

“Good morning,” Ohno greeted them with a gloomy face, just like the cloudy sky above them. “I hope all of you had a nice practice yesterday,” he continued, stopping his gaze briefly at Nino. “Today, I would like to see how far have you gone in controlling the sword.”

Nino and Sho exchanged a disbelieving look; none of them had perfectly controlled the heavy sword. The worst thing was their muscles were still aching from yesterday’s training. Swinging the sword in this condition would only harm them.

“Ninomiya, you go first,” Ohno ordered.

Nino somehow knew that Ohno would appoint him to demonstrate his skill ahead of the other samurai. He walked forward and drew the heavy sword from its scabbard.

“You can start,” Ohno said.

Nino did his best in controlling the sword, but his hurting muscles and the cold air hindered his efforts. He failed in the third movement and slipped on his own foot; he wobbled and fell down to the muddy ground. He could feel Ohno’s gaze behind his back; Sho made a gesture to help him, but Ohno waved his hand.

“Let him get up by himself,” Ohno said. “You should have practiced more in using your sword than intruding in someone’s private quarters, Ninomiya-san,” Ohno said with a loud and clear voice so everyone at the clearing could hear him.

“This man entered my compound last night without approval,” he continued. “He’s still here because I didn’t want to break a record in beheading someone who has just started his first-day training in Edo. I won’t let you have your lunch until you can control your sword perfectly. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Ohno-san,” all of the samurai answered in unison.

Sho approached Nino when Ohno left the clearing. His face was a mixture between anger and concern.

“Why did you do that?” he asked.

“Sorry, Sho-san,” Nino answered, looking down at the muddy ground.

“It’s fine by me, but you have to apologize to everyone here,” Sho said, patting Nino’s shoulder in a friendly way.

It took them all day to practice and Sho was the one who saved them from starving as he demonstrated his perfect technique to Ohno. The captain was hardly impressed, he only nodded and told them to eat their late lunch.

“I don’t know why we need swordsman in this peaceful era. The war is over, all we need to be afraid of is natural disasters,” Toma said while eating his onigiri.

“To prevent this country from outside threat,” Aiba said.

Nino ate alone under the tree while listening to the conversation from the rest of the group. They didn’t blame him and convinced him that Ohno would still torture them even without him intruding into his private quarters. But this kind of punishment wouldn’t stop Nino from making another foray. He hadn’t located what he was looking for and in order to do that, he had to plan a better strategy.

***

A week had passed since the training started, but none of the samurai had showed Ohno a satisfying result. Sakurai Sho was good, but he was still far below Ohno’s standard. He had tasked Sho and Jun to prepare themselves for a battle in the following week in order to measure how much progress Sho had made.

Ohno left the training that day to Jun; he was summoned by Lord Yoshinao for a sudden meeting. The Lord was waiting for him at one of the gardens; Ohno was welcomed by a tall young man – Kotaki Nozomu – who was grinning from ear to ear as he guided the way towards the Lord.

“You’ll be given an important task,” Kotaki said, showing Ohno his white front teeth.

“Thanks for the advance information, Kotaki,” Ohno mumbled, adjusting the sword on his belt as he walked.

“Is the training fun?” he asked.

“So much fun that I can’t wait to end it,” Ohno answered coldly, but it wasn’t enough to erase the smile from Kotaki’s face.

Both of them arrived at the garden where the Lord was enjoying a cup of tea while looking at the line of maple trees. Kotaki prepared Ohno’s tea before leaving the venue.

“Good season,” Lord Yoshinao said. “I’m glad that the training progresses well, Satoshi.”

“Thank you, my Lord. All of them are working very hard,” Ohno replied, bowing at the Lord respectfully.

“I need you to do one more task,” the Lord said without further ado. He took a sword which was covered with a fine cloth and handed it to Ohno. “It’s the naginata sword. The ancient legacy of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. We’ll return this sword to Osaka and I appoint you for this mission. You can choose when is the best time for you to carry out the mission.”

Ohno was bewildered when he opened the cover of the sword; the scabbard was carved with dragon symbol with such a great detail. He drew the sword and saw the ancient design; he wondered how it ended in Lord Yoshinao’s hand instead to Lord Ieyasu.

“It’s not supposed to be here,” Lord Yoshinao said as if he could read what was in Ohno’s mind. “That’s why I need you to bring it back to Osaka.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Ohno replied.

“I’ll be glad if you can keep the existence of this sword a secret,” the Lord said with the final tone.

Ohno left the Lord’s compound with the sword in his hand. It was neatly covered with a cloth; Kotaki accompanied him towards the exit with his usual grin and unfunny jokes. Ohno didn’t listen to any of the man’s words; his mind was full with the upcoming mission he needed to fulfill. Lord Yoshinao had emphasized that he had to hide this sword from other people, except for his most trusted underling.

Jun was waiting for him at the main chamber when Ohno arrived.

“Ohno-san, we have an issue,” the man said before Ohno could say something.

“What is it?”

“Ninomiya,” Jun said with a frown on his face. “He got hurt during the training.”

“What happened?”

“His left hand was deeply injured,” Jun explained.

Ohno heaved a deep sigh. It was his responsibility if something happened to the training participants. Ninomiya seemed to be a trouble maker since the very beginning. He quickly stored the sword in his room and together with Jun, they headed towards Ninomiya’s chamber.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Sho tried not to look at Ohno too much as the man giving instructions to the healer, who was taking care of Nino’s wound. He still felt a weird dislike towards Ohno; the man’s confidence, dignity, cold-treatment, and the hidden charm which drew Nino away from him.

He wanted this training to end as soon as possible. He wanted to bring Nino back to Mito – away from Edo and from Ohno.

“This wound will need weeks to heal,” Ohno’s voice broke the silence inside the chamber. “You’re screwing up your own schedule,” he added to Nino.

“I’ll take the responsibility, Ohno-san,” Sho said, bowing lowly at the man.

“How?” Ohno asked coldly.

Sho hesitated before answering, “I’ll train him to catch up the new techniques during his absence.”

Ohno exchanged a look with Jun as if asking him what did he think about Sho’s ability.

“I’ll decide what to do with this trouble maker,” Ohno hissed. “I hope no one else will do something stupid like what he did.”

Sho felt a pang inside his chest when he heard Ohno’s words. Nino was his responsibility; it was his fault that Nino got into trouble during his stay in this castle.

“Thank you for your kindness, Ohno-san,” Nino said as Ohno left the chamber. Sho shifted closer to Nino’s bed as everyone left.

“Is it hurt?” he asked.

“Not really, I’ve suffered more severe injures before,” Nino grinned innocently.

Sho drew a deep breath, it seemed that nothing could make Nino learn about his mistakes, he always took everything easily. He shouldn’t have brought Nino as his companion in the first place, but he couldn’t turn back time, it was already too late now. He stole a glance at Nino’s face – young and innocent – a face which made Sho’s heart flutter in a strange way.

“What’s wrong, Sho-san?” Nino leaned closer.

“I’m just worried about you,” Sho said, shifting his eyes from Nino. It had gotten worse, he felt that he couldn’t look into Nino’s eyes anymore without the urge to kiss him.

“I’m not going to die,” Nino chuckled. “You’re the one who keeps on saying that Edo era is a peaceful one, we don’t need to worry about any wars or conflicts.”

“Yes, let’s hope this peaceful era will go on forever,” Sho replied, rising from Nino’s bed. “Good night, Nino.”

“Good night,” Nino said.

Sho only hoped that their stay in Edo would be peaceful until the end.

*** 

Nino grimaced in pain as he tried to get up from his bed the next morning. He didn’t want to stay in bed all day despite his wound. It was nothing compared to what he had endured before when he was still a thief. He shifted towards the exit of the chamber, washed his face quickly, and left the compound. Sho and the other occupants had left for their daily training; it was Nino’s chance to go exploring Edo castle all by himself – without Sho’s knowledge.

Besides, he didn’t think that the training would give them any advantages. Ohno’s techniques only suited himself; it wasn’t something the other samurai could master within six months. Nino walked through the complicated corridors, a number of compounds for servants, buildings for entertainment, clearings where the servants dried the washed kimonos, central kitchens, and the backyard where a few male servants cut the firewood.

Nobody looked twice at him; everyone was busy with their own duties. He returned to his chamber right before Sho and the others finished their training. He pretended that he had just woken up from his nap when Sho opened the door.

“How’s your arm?” Sho asked.

“It’s getting better,” Nino replied, avoiding Sho’s gaze. Somehow, he felt guilty for betraying Sho’s trust.

“Matsumoto wants you to be at Ohno-san’s private compound tomorrow,” Sho said with a darkened expression.

“Why?” Nino raised his brow. He couldn’t tell whether he liked Matsumoto or not, he just hoped that he wouldn’t need to learn anything from him.

“Perhaps Ohno-san wants you to train in private,” Sho said.

“They said that there’s no such thing as private lessons here,” Nino shrugged.

“Well, the situation has changed,” Sho said as he glanced at Nino’s wounded arm. He gave Nino a soft pat on his shoulder and told him to take a rest.

Nino felt a wave of guilt inside him as he looked into Sho’s tired face. Sho had done so much for him, but all he did in return was put him in trouble and this was just the beginning.

Nino woke up earlier the next day; he dressed up properly and headed towards Ohno’s compound with mixed feelings. He was eager in seeing Ohno, but not Matsumoto. He had a hunch that the man would make him miserable.

Matsumoto had been waiting for him at the front gate with a scowl on his face. He guided Nino inside without a word and gestured for him to take a seat as they arrived at the dojo. Matsumoto disappeared, leaving Nino alone at the room which seemed to hold particular energy. There were various kind of swords, hanging on the wall from the longest to the shortest order. A few calligraphy boards decorated another side of the dojo; the kanji characters were beautifully written. Nino was reading the last board when Ohno arrived at the room.

“You’ll train here to catch up,” Ohno said without any opening greetings.

Nino tried to find excuses; that his arm was still hurt as hell and the forced moves would lead into horrible infection, but the words stuck in his throat as he saw Ohno’s expression. It was the second time he had talked face to face with Ohno, and he hated to admit that the man overpowered him both physically and physiologically.

“An injured arm is not a problem for a samurai,” Ohno added with a plain tone.

Nino bit his lower lip; he knew he would have to follow Ohno’s order no matter what.

“Show me your ability,” Ohno commanded.

“I apologize, but I think you have known my basic ability,” Nino said, trying to sound polite.

Ohno flashed a smirk, “You haven’t shown your true ability, Ninomiya,” Ohno said. “There’s something which makes you hide it.”

Nino was taken aback. How did Ohno know it?

“Maybe you’re mistaken,” Nino mumbled a reply.

“I’m not,” Ohno said with utmost confidence. “I’ve seen a lot of swordsmen for my whole life. I know that you don’t do it seriously.”

Nino lifted his head to look at Ohno’s sleepy eyes; unlike Sho whom Nino could fool, this man seemed to possess an unseen power to find out Nino’s dishonesty. Ohno rose off of the floor, walked towards the wall and took one of the swords. He returned to Nino and handed the sword to him.

“Show me what you got,” Ohno said.

Nino took the sword; carefully removed it from its scabbard, it was heavy, just like the one Ohno gave them on the first day of the training. He got up from the floor and waited for Ohno to take another sword from the wall. The man attacked first – without any warnings. He swung the sword towards Nino with serious attempt to kill. Nino ignored the pain on his upper arm as he tried to protect himself from Ohno’s attack.

Ohno was fast; he moved effortlessly. He also could use both of his hands effectively. Nino was left-handed, but he usually held the sword with his right hand, because the handle was made only for right-handed. He should have trained to use two swords at the same time, just like Ohno did.

Nino was cornered after his last effort to defend himself; Ohno’s sword was on neck, the man smiled in satisfaction – for whatever reason. It was the first time for Nino to see Ohno’s smiling face; it was surprising that the man could use such an expression. His face changed to a more handsome figure, as if a noh player had just changed his mask.

“You could do it better,” Ohno mumbled.

“I’m wounded,” Nino said, feeling that his hand was bleeding.

Ohno pulled away, stored his sword in its scabbard and hung it on the wall. Nino did the same while grimacing in pain.

“The healer will take a look at your wound,” Ohno said shortly. “You may return to your chamber, Jun will accompany you there.”

“I can find my way there,” Nino said. He didn’t like walking beside Matsumoto who kept on looking at him as if he was an ugly duck.

“Jun will take you there,” Ohno repeated with a commanding tone.

Nino bowed to Ohno as the man left the dojo. Jun appeared almost immediately and waited for Nino at the exit. They walked side by side towards Nino’s chamber without any words. Nino was so busy thinking about Ohno that he didn’t really feel the pain on his upper arm. Jun, meanwhile seemed to be in deep thought as well. He watched Nino until he closed the door behind him.

Sho was waiting in Nino’s room with a worried expression.

“You’re bleeding. What did Ohno-san do to you?”

“Nothing, he just wanted me to use his sword collection,” Nino answered.

Sho didn’t seem convinced by Nino’s answer, but he didn’t pry any further. The healer came to change the bandage on Nino’s injured arm and told him not to make any reckless moves until the wound had healed.

“Tell that to Ohno-san,” Nino mumbled to himself when the healer had gone.

Sho stayed until late that night. He insisted on staying over, but Nino convinced Sho that he had just injured a hand and was not on the verge of death.

“Good night, Nino,” Sho said, turning on his heels and walking towards his own chamber.

Nino lay down on his futon, looking up to the ceiling. Ohno’s smile kept on appearing in his head; it was probably the most mysterious smile he had ever seen in his life. He never imagined that a cold person like Ohno could make that kind of smile. Did he always show that face to everyone?

He recalled Aiba’s information about Ohno as kabuki actor. What kind of expression did Ohno make when he played the onnagata? Why did he choose to play onnagata? Why was he so good at everything?

He shifted to a more comfortable position, but the sleepy feeling wouldn’t come. It was past midnight when he was finally able to close his eyes.

Nino fell asleep with weird dreams about Ohno and Sho.

***

Nino attended the training session on the following day, but he only watched from afar as Ohno didn’t permit him to participate in the actual practice. He didn’t want to question the motive and sat down quietly, watching Aiba and Ueda who pushed each other with rather unique expressions.

Sho looked in his direction every now and then, as if checking whether Nino was still there or not. Sho was a good man, too good even. Deep down inside his heart, Nino knew that Sho had a soft spot for him, but Nino had no intention to fall in love with anyone – not now. He tried to push his guilt away, every time he looked at Sho’s face. If Sho didn’t trust him enough, Nino wouldn’t be here in Edo.

“The training ends, you’re dismissed,” Ohno announced.

Sho approached Nino almost immediately; he walked closer towards Nino with a broad smile on his lips.

“Ohno-san will perform tonight,” Sho said.

“Oh, that’s good,” Nino replied. “Do you want to watch him?”

Sho needed a few seconds to answer, “I don’t know. I have to write a report to Lord Mito about our progress.”

“Please don’t write about my injury, it’s embarrassing,” Nino said with an apologetic grin.

“Sure,” Sho replied. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Nino chuckled and together they left the clearing.

The one who ended up inviting Nino to watch the performance was Aiba. Nino was considering not going, because he didn’t want to see yet another side of Ohno that would leave him sleepless. He repeatedly told himself that he may not fall in love in this castle, but Ohno’s mysterious appearance always sent a prickle to his stomach.

“He’s so good in playing onnagata, like, very good,” Aiba said as they walked towards the kabuki hall which was located close to the main castle. Nino quickly mapped the route in his head and memorized what compounds they were passing by.

“You will not recognize him as the same Ohno-san,” Aiba kept on blabbering.

“By the way, why didn’t you ask Kazama to go with you?” Nino asked.

“He caught a cold,” Aiba replied with a concern on his face. “But I know he wants to use this extra time to train by himself. He told me that Matsumoto always scolds him for being such a slow learner.”

Nino grimaced, imagining how Matsumoto insulted Kazama every time he made the wrong movement. He had an unpleasant hunch that Ohno would command him to have a sword battle with Matsumoto in the near future.

‘Just to see your real ability’

He could hear Ohno’s voice in his head.

They arrived at the kabuki hall and got seats at the right wing. The main seats were dedicated to the high-ranked samurai alongside their wives. Nino spread his sight around, the seats were filled within just a few minutes. He wondered how much money they were possessing right now – it would be nice if he could steal from them again.

“Nino, that’s Lord Yoshinao,” Aiba’s whisper in his ear woke Nino up from his daydreaming.

He followed Aiba’s finger; Lord Yoshinao was a middle-aged man with a nice frame. He talked with another samurai, laughing when one of them told a joke. Nino narrowed his eyes to see the Lord’s face better; he was far older than what Nino remembered. It was a long time ago when he last saw that face, right when the battle of Sekigahara ended with the victory of Tokugawa clan.

“The show is about to begin,” Aiba said with high excitement.

Nino shifted his gaze from the Lord towards the stage. There were three men with colorful kimonos and kabuki make-up on the stage, they danced for a couple of minutes before the curtain behind them revealed another character – Nino didn’t need Aiba’s pinch on his arm to recognize Ohno. But he was so beautiful that every lady in the hall would scowl in envy.

Ohno moved elegantly, his long fingers moved in grace, his facial expression was perfect in describing a woman in love. When he spoke his lines; there was no doubt in his voice, there was no room for imperfectionist, everything was just amazing that everyone forgot to breathe until Ohno finished his script.

Nino was drowning in awe; he couldn’t find the right word to explain what he felt at the moment. Ohno’s beauty was something beyond his imagination – he was completely a different person. How could a capable-stoic-fierce swordsman turn into a pretty onnagata player?

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Nino swore he met Ohno’s eyes for a second. He could feel his heart explode under his ribs. He glanced at Aiba who clapped his hands happily as the show ended.

They stayed behind after the show, waiting for the hall to be emptied. Nino could see Matsumoto’s silhouette behind the curtain; Nino felt slightly jealous over his closeness to Ohno. He would do anything to be back stage, helping Ohno to change his clothes.

“Nino, let’s go,” Aiba said, guiding their way towards the exit. The hall was almost empty now.

It was when they were close to the main door when they heard a voice behind them.

“You’d better use your precious time to train, rather than entertaining yourselves, there’s only five months left.”

They turned around and saw Matsumoto, approaching them with a scowl on his face (perhaps he had no smiling nerve in his body).

“Thanks for reminding us,” Nino replied. He had decided that he wouldn’t let Matsumoto insult him anymore. “I don’t need five months to master the techniques. A week is already enough.”

“What a big mouth,” Matsumoto hissed.

“Let me tell you that your swords technique is old-fashioned,” Nino continued, ignoring Aiba’s grip on his arm.

“Nino, that’s enough. He’s on charge for our training here,” Aiba whispered.

“Mind your words, Ninomiya or do you prefer another wound,” Matsumoto said, his hand moved to the handle of his sword.

“What’s happening here?” Ohno asked as he appeared from the sliding door behind them. His eyes fell to Matsumoto’s hand and to Nino.

“Just a friendly conversation, Ohno-san,” Nino answered.

Ohno looked at Matsumoto as if trying to find the right answer. The taller man bowed slightly while moving his hand away from his sword.

“Come to my compound tomorrow after the usual practice,” Ohno said briefly to Nino, giving a signal to Matsumoto to follow him.

Aiba heaved a deep breath as both of them disappeared from the hall.

“You just got yourself into trouble, Nino,” Aiba mumbled.

“I get used to it,” Nino answered.

*** 

“Nino, what did you tell Matsumoto?” Sho cornered him in the morning on the next day. Sho stood close in front of him, pushing him onto the wall behind him.

“Nothing,” Nino said, avoiding Sho’s gaze.

“The words have spread around the castle. No one has ever said something improper to the samurai of Edo castle, Nino. No one,” Sho didn’t try to hide his disappointment this time. He looked at Nino with a sad expression.

“What makes you so afraid of them?” Nino asked.

“They’re in charge, Nino. They can make you lose your job, they can make you a rounin,” Sho said with frustrated tone.

“Don’t you remember that I’m not a samurai since the beginning,” Nino mumbled.

Sho’s right hand grabbed Nino’s collar, but then he released it. “I shouldn’t have brought you here,” he whispered while leaving Nino alone.

Nino straighten his kimono and watched Sho as he walked away. “It’s too late, Sho-san,” he whispered to himself.

Sho didn’t talk to him during training and avoided Nino on purpose. Nino had no time to convince the man that he didn’t do anything wrong, or perhaps apologize for making such an uproar by arguing with Matsumoto. He had another thing to worry about right now.

Nino followed Ohno towards his compound as the training ended. They walked in silence; Nino was glad that Ohno was the one who guided the way instead of Matsumoto.

“You never stop causing trouble,” Ohno said when they were about to reach the compound which was already familiar to Nino now.

“I’m sorry, Ohno-san, but I think Matsumoto-san underestimates everyone without limit,” Nino answered firmly.

Ohno paused his steps and looked at Nino straight in the eye, “Jun is my best underling, he has proven himself as a good swordsman.”

“It doesn’t mean he can insult us,” Nino said even before Ohno could finish his sentence.

Ohno narrowed his eyes. “Prove me that you’re better than him.”

“With pleasure,” Nino said.

Matsumoto was waiting for them at the dojo; he bowed at Ohno and glanced briefly at Nino. Matsumoto’s expression was dark and he didn’t try to hide his dislike towards Nino. The latter ignored the man’s gaze, he was used to people like Matsumoto, someone who saw other people as the lower class.

“I only tolerate light injuries in this battle,” Ohno said. “I don’t want any murder in my dojo.”

“Don’t worry, Ohno-san,” Matsumoto said, drawing his sword from the scabbard. “I’ll knock him down within two minutes.”

Nino drew his own sword and calmly walked towards Matsumoto’s direction. It was perhaps his 20th swords battle since he joined Sho’s troops. None of his opponents were good enough; Ohno was perhaps the only samurai whose technique was better than Nino’s.

Matsumoto lifted his sword up highly and swung it to Nino who was ready to tackle it. He pushed forward, trying to corner Nino towards the wall. The latter loosened his pressure on the sword and jumped over Matsumoto, he turned around in the mid-air and gave his opponent a powerful kick on his shoulder. Matsumoto wobbled, but the kick wasn’t enough to knock him down, he furiously attacked Nino with complicated movements which he probably learned from Ohno, only that they were predictable. Nino dodged and stopped Matsumoto’s sword with his at the final moment, he pushed forward this time, putting all of his weigh into the sword in his hand.

They looked at each other’s eyes; Nino knew that Matsumoto was furious and somehow out of control. Unlike Ohno who fought calmly, Matsumoto was too impatient, which benefited Nino in knocking him down easier. He backed off for a moment and run forwards; holding his sword tightly and aiming for Matsumoto’s chest, there was no way to avoid this attack, it was too late for Matsumoto – he would die in Nino’s hand.

Nino’s sword was about to make an impact with Matsumoto when a pair of metals prevented it from killing the man. Ohno jumped between them; his two swords protected Matsumoto from Nino.

“Enough,” he said.

Nino put his sword down; he had forgotten Ohno’s message, what he felt just now was the urge to kill – it had been so long since he was involved in a real battle.

Matsumoto panted hardly; he knelt down in front of Ohno, pulling the man’s sword to his neck.

“I can’t take this defeat, let me commit seppuku, Ohno-san,” he sobbed.

“I won’t let you do that, Jun,” Ohno said softly. “Take a rest, that’s what you need at the moment.”

Matsumoto took his sword and disappeared from the dojo without glancing twice at Nino. The latter, meanwhile tried to get a hold of himself, he was trembling hard. Ohno looked at him with the utmost interest; there was no anger in his face, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t frightened. Something told Nino that this man wouldn’t hesitate to kill and it was worse than any angry shouts.

“I’m sorry…” Nino mumbled, dropping his sword to the floor.

“You’re stronger than what I expected,” Ohno said. “No one has beaten Jun, you’re the first one. I’ll write a recommendation to Lord Mito to upgrade your position…”

“No,” Nino cut him. “I mean, I’m only a companion to Sho-san. It will be rude if I get a promotion ahead of him.”

Ohno raised his brows. “You can become a samurai of Edo, it will be an honor to Mito clan.”

“Ohno-san, please. I need to talk with Sho-san first.”

Ohno heaved a deep breath and nodded after a few minutes of silence.

“You can return to your chamber,” Ohno ordered.

Nino took his sword, secured it into its scabbard and turned around towards the exit. He looked back at Ohno before reaching the door.

“I enjoyed your kabuki performance to the fullest. You’re a great actor,” he said.

Ohno gave him a weak smile. “Thanks,” he replied.

On his way to his chamber, Nino’s mind was in chaos. Half of him wanted to say yes to Ohno, becoming a samurai in Edo would give him better advantages, but he just couldn’t do it without consulting with Sho. He tried to consider Sho as a mere milestone for him to come to Edo, but after spending some time with him, Nino didn’t have the heart to do that.

Sho was always very kind. Sho was always worried about him.

But ever since they were in Edo; Sho seemed to have too many things to think of. He didn’t smile a lot like he did in Mito. He also showed a gloomy face every time they talked about Ohno.

When Nino arrived in his chamber, he found Sho there, sitting on the tatami with arms crossed over his chest. His expression was rather dark, but he forced a grin as he saw Nino.

“Let me change your bandage,” Sho said without looking at Nino’s eyes.

The request was unpredictable, Nino could only nod in return. Sho rose off the floor and took the bandage from the wooden box inside the drawer. He helped Nino take off his kimono and carefully wrapped the new bandage around his left arm. He was quiet and seemed not in the mood to talk. Nino didn’t try to open the conversation since he was deeply in thought as well.

Sho finished wrapping the bandage and much to Nino’s surprise, he leaned closer and kissed Nino on his lips. The movement was so sudden that Nino had no time to digest what was happening. Half of him wanted to push Sho away, but his hand couldn’t move. Sho pulled away, looking as confused as Nino was. He abruptly stood up, gazing at Nino with an unreadable expression.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered before leaving the room.

Nino carefully touched his lips; he couldn’t describe his feelings towards Sho at the moment. Not, when the one he truly wanted was Ohno.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

It was a week after the kissing incident. Nino tried to act as if nothing had happened and he was glad that Sho did the same thing. It seemed that Sho didn’t want to talk about it which was rather relieving since Nino didn’t know what to tell the man if he discussed his true feelings. The training continued, everybody finally made their own progress, particularly Sho who worked the hardest among all of them.

Ohno still summoned Nino to his private chamber every now and then to train with him. He hadn’t mentioned about his plan to make Nino an Edo samurai, either because he had forgotten about it or he was waiting for Nino to say yes. Matsumoto still refused to talk to Nino and stayed at his own chamber the whole time whenever Nino trained at the dojo. Nino guessed that Ohno had done something to prevent the news of Matsumoto’s defeat from spreading across the castle. Matsumoto was someone with high pride in the first place; he would lose his confidence if everyone knew that a low-ranked samurai like Nino defeated him.

They didn’t talk about anything else other than the training, but Nino noticed than Ohno stayed at the dojo longer than usual for the past three days. He watched Nino from afar, but didn’t bother to give instruction when Nino made the wrong move. Sometimes, the man just stared at the wooden wall for long minutes as if he could find something there. On another occasion, he invited Nino to his working chamber to drink some tea in silence.

Unlike Sho who loved talking all the time, Ohno was quiet, but it didn’t really bother Nino since he was not into talking either. Nino had a hunch that Ohno just wanted to keep him close – for whatever reason. His presence had obviously offended Matsumoto, but that was none of Nino’s concern. What troubled him more was Sho’s cold attitude towards him every time he returned from Ohno’s private quarters.

It was clear that Sho didn’t like Nino’s closeness to Ohno. But what Nino could do about it? He was not in a position where he could just disobey Ohno’s command. They had no chance to talk during the training; Ohno had assigned them to work in pairs to learn double-sword technique. Sho was paired with Ueda, meanwhile Nino with Aiba.

“I can’t do this,” Aiba complained. “Double-sword is not for everyone,” he continued, slumping down on the floor. Their training ground was moved to the dojo hall because the winter had come.

“I know,” Nino agreed, glancing at Sho and Ueda. They still practiced seriously, but Nino could tell that nobody could control two swords perfectly like Ohno did.

Sho caught Nino’s gaze on him, it was the first time Nino saw him this close, Sho looked extremely tired, there were bags under his eyes and he seemed paler than usual. When the training ended, the two of them were the only one left at the dojo. Nino stepped closer to the man before he could run away.

“Sho-chan,” Nino called.

Sho turned at him with puzzled expression, but he managed to give Nino a soft expression.

“Can I have dinner in your chamber?” he asked.

“Aren’t you busy?” Sho asked in return.

“I’m free tonight,” Nino replied.

Sho needed a few minutes to think, he busied himself with his swords before answering.

“Come to my chamber then, I have something to discuss with you,” Sho said. He stepped out of the dojo, leaving Nino behind.

It had been a while since Nino talked face to face with Sho. The man’s expression was gloomy, just like the first time when he visited Nino in the underground prison. It felt like a life time away.

“Take a seat, Nino,” Sho said, gesturing Nino to sit down at the tatami floor. “Lord Mito sent me a letter and it was about you.”

“About me?” Nino raised his brows. What was so important about him that the leader of Mito clan needed to write.

Sho nodded. “It mentioned that the Lord has agreed on your new affiliation to Edo castle.”

Nino needed a few seconds to digest what Sho had said. Then he recalled Ohno’s desire to make him one of Edo samurai. He looked through Sho’s eyes, searching for a sign of joke, but Sho was dead serious and there was no smile on his lips.

“You’re no longer my underling once the official ceremony is done,” Sho said. He didn’t try to hide the bitterness in his voice. 

“I…why didn’t you explain that I wasn’t a samurai?” Nino protested.

“Tell me, which part of your ability that isn’t samurai?” Sho asked in return.

Nino couldn’t think straight, not to mention that it was his dream to be admitted in Edo, but not this soon. He wanted to say something funny, just to entertain Sho like he always did back in Mito, but nothing passed his lips. He kept silent, looking down at the tatami floor, imagining how his life would be once he became a part of Edo troops.

“I’m proud of you,” Sho said after minutes of silence.

Nino couldn’t reply, he felt guilty to Sho. Half of him wanted to tell Sho the truth about his background and what he was really up to, but he had gone this far. Everything had gone the way Nino planned; it would be such a waste if he failed to keep the secrets.

Besides, he loved to be close to Ohno, no matter how he felt guilty towards Sho, he couldn’t lie to himself that he enjoyed it more when he and Ohno trained together at the dojo.

Nino left Sho’s chamber that night with complicated feelings. His one and a half month stay in Edo had created many conflicts, both with Matsumoto and Sho. Matsumoto still refused to talk to him, he pretended that Nino was a part of the wall decoration every time he practiced sword at Ohno’s dojo.

He heaved a deep breath, looking up to the winter sky. The time to accomplish his mission had come.

“One more step and it will be done,” he whispered to himself.

***

Ohno read the approval letter from Lord Mito with satisfaction; the Lord had agreed to transfer Ninomiya to Edo, with this, there was no need for Ninomiya to join the joint training. Instead, he could practice swords with the other Edo troops. Ohno put down the letter and rose off of his seat, heading towards the wall where he hung the naginata sword that he supposed to deliver to Osaka. He hadn’t made any plans yet; he hadn’t even informed Jun about this. The training had taken all of Ohno’s attention these days.

He heard the sliding door opened; he turned around and saw Jun’s figure. Ohno knew his defeat to Ninomiya still shook him and Ohno also aware that Jun would be against Ninomiya’s position as an Edo samurai.

“So, it was true,” Jun said, his brows united in dislike and Ohno knew he referred to the letter on Ohno’s table.

“You’ve heard about it,” Ohno replied calmly. “Ninomiya is not our enemy, Jun. It will be such a waste if we don’t employ him here.”

“You trust him, despite of his suspicious behavior,” Jun hissed. “He entered these quarters without permission, remember?”

Ohno approached Jun, patting him softly on his shoulder, “Give him a chance.”

“Nobody knows what kind of trouble he will make after this, Ohno-san,” Jun said, gritting his teeth.

“Easy, Jun. I’ll take a full responsibility when it happens,” Ohno said with a final tone.

Jun seemed not convinced; he shook his head and left Ohno’s room. The latter returned to the sword on the wall; he needed to arrange the plans as soon as possible. He could ask Jun and Ninomiya to travel with him to Osaka, with that, both of them could speak to each other and end their mutual hatred.

He found Ninomiya inside the dojo that afternoon. The young man was practicing with one sword, holding it in his left hand. Being a left-handed samurai was hard, especially when almost all of the swords were created for the right-handed. Ohno needed to order special swords from Edo’s most trusted black smiths to make left-handed handles for his double-swords technique. He knew that most of the samurai who joined the joint training couldn’t master it and he planned to cancel it from his training schedule.

It took several minutes for Ninomiya to realize his presence.

“Please continue,” Ohno said, sitting on the wooden floor, watching Ninomiya as he resumed his practice, but the man couldn’t move perfectly like what he did before. Ohno recognized it as nervousness and he unconsciously smiled to himself.

“I’m rubbish,” Ninomiya said with a tiny voice when he made the wrong movement for the nth times.

Ohno rose off of the floor and approached the man. He looked straight to Ninomiya’s face which was wet from sweat; his pale skin reddened, his chest rose and fell with the rhythm of his breaths. Ninomiya avoided his gaze and eyed the floor instead – it was the thing Ohno liked from this particular man. He could be confident and shy at the same time. He still remembered Ninomiya’s self-assured expression when he fought Jun a week ago, but now the very same face dwindled – as if he had done something wrong and was caught red-handed because of it.

Ohno caught Ninomiya’s left wrist and saw the surprised expression cross his handsome face.

“It’s not a sword for the left-handed,” Ohno said, examining the sword in Ninomiya’s fist.

“I know,” Ninomiya answered. “Nobody wants to waste their time to make swords for left-handed samurai,” he continued.

“I can order them to make it for you,” Ohno said, releasing Ninomiya’s hand.

He had just realized that they stood very close to each other. He didn’t know where it came from, but his instinct told him that it was the thing he (or both of them wanted). He pulled Ninomiya closer to him and kissed the man’s parting lips. Ninomiya dropped the sword to the wooden floor, but neither of them cared. Ohno pulled away and saw Ninomiya had closed his eyes, he stepped behind and left the dojo without any words. He felt a mix of guilt and happiness inside his chest. It wasn’t the right thing for a samurai, he should have controlled himself. Ohno never lost himself like he just did, he was always cold-headed and was an expert in hiding his true feelings – but at the moment, he was completely not himself.

Ohno turned towards the corridor which led him to his chamber but stopped half-way as he saw Jun. His underling gave him a strange gaze as if knowing what Ohno did inside the dojo. Since the day Ohno appointed Jun as his sandal-bearer, he knew that Jun had hidden feelings for him. But Jun was very good in controlling himself – unlike him who kissed Ninomiya all of a sudden without thinking of the consequences.

“Lord Yoshinao wishes to see you, Ohno-san,” Jun said, looking into Ohno’s eyes as if he could read Ohno’s mind right now.

“Thank you,” Ohno replied. “You can come with me,” he added.

Jun nodded and followed behind him. They walked in silence; Ohno’s mind still lingered inside the dojo, the taste of Ninomiya’s lips still remained – they were soft and sweet.

“The training is almost over,” Jun opened the conversation as they made a turn towards Lord Yoshinao’s residence. “Do you have any plans on what to do in their final weeks?”

Ohno needed a few minutes before answering. “A sword battle will be interesting.”

“Their skill is not equal, I’m afraid it will only reduce their confidence,” Jun replied.

“They can do some kind of exhibit, if sword battle isn’t good enough,” Ohno answered.

“Don’t you think that this joint training is not as successful as what the Lord has expected?” Jun asked.

Ohno stopped his steps and turned on his heels to look at Jun. There was a slight of disappointment in Jun’s handsome face and for some odd reason, Ohno knew it had something to do with Ninomiya.

“Successful or not will be decided by the participants,” Ohno said. “It is up to them, no matter how skilled their teachers are, if they don’t have any willing to learn, they will stay as stupid as they are. You did a great job, Jun-kun,” Ohno flashed a smile at the man. Jun still frowned, though.

“You’re still the best swordsman in my troops,” Ohno said after a series of silences.

Jun seemed to want to debate it, but he nodded weakly. They continued their steps towards Lord Yoshinao’s castle and was welcomed by Kotaki whose smile was wider than usual.

“This way, this way,” he guided.

“We know where to go, Kotaki,” Jun said coldly.

“Lord Yoshinao has just returned from the main castle,” Kotaki said, ignoring Jun’s cold answer. “He brought very delicious tea. I guess he wants to enjoy it with both of you, his most trusted samurai,” he winked at Ohno and grinned from ear to ear which clearly annoyed Jun.

Lord Yoshinao was sitting down while reading something when they arrived. Kotaki announced their arrival, the Lord needed some time to finish his reading before gesturing Ohno and Jun to take a seat.

“I’m sure you know why I summoned you here, Satoshi,” the Lord said, looking at Ohno like a proud father. “It’s about your upcoming travel to Osaka. I have received the letter and they want you to come earlier than planned.”

Jun made a questioning gesture since Ohno hadn’t mentioned anything about the sword which needed to be delivered to Osaka.

“I have replied to my counterpart in Osaka, telling them that you will depart next three days. The trip itself will take around 15 days via the Tokkaido route, make sure that you choose the right underlings to go with you,” the Lord said, gesturing towards Jun with a weak smile.

“Yes, my Lord,” Ohno answered briefly. “Jun will travel with me and I will choose three more persons.”

“Good,” the Lord said. “But with one condition; tell the rest of your companion that you will deliver an important letter to Osaka instead of a sword. It’s better to keep it secret.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Ohno said, bowing respectfully towards the Lord.

Ohno briefly explained the mission to Jun when they already returned to their private chamber. Jun didn’t ask questions, but he seemed deeply in thoughts.

“Make sure you choose the right persons to travel with you,” Jun said before leaving Ohno’s chamber.

Ohno had already decided who he would choose and he hoped everything would be alright for their upcoming 15 days trip to Osaka.

***

“Nino, are you alright?”

Aiba waved his hand in front of Nino’s face. They were enjoying dinner in the hall of the main castle, but Nino hadn’t touched his food, his mind was full of Ohno’s kiss. It was unbelievable, it felt like a dream, nothing prepared him for that sudden kiss. He wished he were in a more presentable condition, if he could choose, he didn’t want to be kissed when he was wet from sweat after making a number of wrong movements because he was so damn nervous.

“I’m alright,” Nino answered, trying to chew his food, but he wasn’t hungry. Ohno’s kiss had erased every sense from him.

“May I join?” Sho’s voice was heard. He sat down beside Aiba, his eyes found Nino, but the latter averted his gaze to his rice bowl and pretended that he was very hungry. He recalled the time when Sho kissed him a week ago and felt guilty that he didn’t feel the same way. If it was in a different situation, perhaps he and Sho could have a sweet and everlasting relationship.

“I can’t believe our training will end in a few weeks, time flies,” Aiba said with some kind of excitement in his voice. “I can’t wait to return to Mogami and share my experience here.”

“Me too,” Sho answered briefly, glancing at Nino.

Nino spent the rest of the dinner, listening to Aiba’s monologue. He knew that Sho was looking at him the whole time, as if knowing that Nino had something which bothered him. They returned to their respective chamber while talking lightly about weather. Winter was Nino’s favorite season; for some reason, he always got something good in winter.

“See you tomorrow, Nino, Sho-chan,” Aiba said when they went separately. Both of them waved goodbye to Aiba and continued to their chambers which was located two blocks from Aiba’s.

“Nino, I’m sorry for last week,” Sho said, referring to their unplanned kiss a week before. It was the first time for Sho to really acknowledge that he had kissed Nino. “I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay, Sho-san. It was…” Nino couldn’t find the right words to describe his feelings towards Sho at the moment.

“I love you, I just can’t lie to myself anymore,” Sho said in a tiny voice as if afraid of his own voice. “I know that you don’t feel the same, but let me love you…”

“Please don’t,” Nino closed his eyes. Sho’s honest confession was the last thing he wanted to hear right now.

“I know that Ohno-san…”

“Sho-san, it’s not the right time,” Nino said. It hurt to see Sho like this; he was completely not himself.

Silence blanketed them for long time, until Sho mumbled an apology for his childish behavior and told Nino not to think about it. Nino was bewildered, he couldn’t analyze his own feelings at the moment. He tried to get Ohno and Sho out of his head, but it wasn’t easy. It was already past midnight when he finally fell asleep.

***

Nino had no time to think of Sho or any other things for the next three days. Ohno had made a surprising announcement that he had chosen Nino, Sho, and Aiba to travel with him to Osaka for more than 30 days until they came back to Edo. Sho and Aiba were freed from the obligation to finish their training, meanwhile the rest of the samurai would need to stay in Edo for longer time until Ohno returned.

Ohno had commanded the three of them to stay at his private quarters prior to their departure; it only meant one thing for Nino – he had to meet Matsumoto more often. Sho was so eager to be chosen as the part of Ohno’s companion, regardless that he didn’t really like Ohno, but the chance to serve Edo Bakufu had lifted his spirit.

Matsumoto had briefly explained the purpose of their travel. Lord Yoshinao wanted Ohno to pay a sudden visit because the Lord had delayed their annual appointment at Osaka Castle. He sent Ohno instead since he had to attend the important meeting at Edo with the Shogun himself.

Nino spent the next two days training himself at Ohno’s dojo; he was glad that Sho and Aiba didn’t bother him. Ohno and Jun were also busy with departure preparation which Nino was grateful for. On the second day of his training, he sneaked into Ohno’s private chamber and found the real reason for their trip to Osaka.

It was the naginata sword which hung on Ohno’s wall. He had heard Ohno who mentioned about the sword and he tried to connect the dots. Nino could tell the sword was from the western Japan because of its appearance.

The new established Edo Bakufu was the result of the battle of Sekigahara. Fifteen years had passed since the great battle; Nino was still a teenager when it happened. Many possessions of the daimyo in western Japan were taken by force by the Tokugawa shogunate as they won the battle. The old valuable sword like the naginata was one of them.

Nino didn’t know why Lord Yoshinao wanted to return this sword to Osaka, knowing that it wouldn’t erase the fact that Edo samurai had robbed the Toyotomi clan after the battle. Besides, the supporters of Toyotomi Hideyoshi were still out there. They would gladly kill the Edo samurai if they found out they were carrying the important possession of Toyotomi clan.

He carefully took the sword and pulled it out from its scabbard. Its handle was decorated with a dragon pattern and they were very detailed; the maker of this sword must have spent weeks to carve it. The symbol of Toyotomi clan was written at the edge side of the sword. Half of Nino’s heart told him to take this sword with him and flee away from Edo castle, but it would be a suicide act. He would be dead before he could reach the front gate of the castle.

He returned the sword to its handle on the wall and heard foot steps outside. Nino jumped soundlessly through the window and heard Jun’s voice.

“Don’t you think it’s dangerous if we travel without additional members?”

“We’ll take the Tokkaido road. It’s safe enough,” Ohno’s impatient voice was heard. “The clans along the route will assist us. Lord Yoshinao has written letters for them. There’s nothing we need to worry about.”

Jun’s breath was deep and heavy. “I heard about the rebellion from Toyotomi’s supporters in the recent years.”

“Their number has decreased rapidly. It will be their bad luck if they encounter us on our way,” Ohno said. It was the first time for Nino to hear him talk with that kind of proud tone. “Have you made the final check for our departure tomorrow?” Ohno continued.

“I’ll do it now,” Jun answered. His footsteps went further.

Nino moved at the same time as Jun; he ran silently towards his chamber. It would be only the five of them to Osaka. Perhaps Jun was right that Ohno should have chosen more samurai to travel with them. He fished a paper from his kimono pocket; he smiled slightly; he had finished the details of the Edo castle route.

Perhaps it would be beneficial…

to be continued


	6. Chapter 6

Tokkaido route was the main road created by Tokugawa shogunate to link Edo and Kyoto. It had 53 stations in total and it needed 17 days to reach Kyoto in perfect weather. Ohno’s trip, however, would be ended in Osaka. If everything went as planned, they would reach their destination within 15 days.

They would travel on foot since the horses couldn’t stand the cold air and there would be some route in which they needed to cross the river. They only brought minimum luggage with them so it wouldn’t weigh them down in the end. It had been a while for Ohno to leave Edo, his last travel to Kyoto was around five years ago. He led the group with Jun right behind him. Ninomiya, Aiba, and Sakurai were walking a few steps further behind them.

Ohno knew that Jun was disappoint with his decision, from the appointment of Ninomiya and his choice to bring Aiba and Sakurai along. It was unusual to bring samurai who were not the official member of Edo troop in a mission like this. But Sakurai and Aiba had better fighting skill; their strength was equal to three samurai all together. Ohno didn’t need to worry of losing the battle, should the rebellion groups attack them on their way. 

Ohno recalled the battle of Sekigahara. He was there, taking a part in the battle. He was still 18 back then, but Lord Yoshino had already included him in the main troops. It was the day he wanted to forget the most in his entire life. There was blood everywhere, dead bodies, remains of human bodies, screams from the injured person, and the spooky atmosphere in the air.

Ohno suffered broken bones on his right shoulder, but he didn’t realize it until the battle was over. He trained his left hand to use sword during the three-month-period when he couldn’t use his right hand. As he turned 20, his skill in using double sword had already spread across Edo castle. Lord Yoshinao summoned him and commanded him to stay at his private quarters where Ohno could train all he liked. That was also the time when he was introduced to Kabuki theater.

For 15 years since Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu came into power, the peaceful era was spread across Japan. There were no more conflicts between daimyos, thanked to the Sankin-kotai system where the daimyo had to travel to Edo and spent the whole year there before returning to their respective place. Ohno knew there were still a small number of Toyotomi’s supporters that denied Tokugawa shogunate, but those groups were decreasing in number for the recent years since more and more daimyo swore their allegiance to the shogun.

He had heard that those groups had been conducting guerilla movement; disguising as kabuki players, farmers, travelers, or even samurai. But as the time went by, they began to realize that their movement had no advantage. There was no way to bring back Toyotomi clan into power with most of the daimyos stayed loyal to the shogun. The only motive which still trigger them was the desire to revenge for their family or their friends’ death during Sekigahara battle. 

Ohno’s mind returned to the present time; he glanced at Jun who looked very cold in his travelling cloak. He turned his head behind, seeing Ninomiya, Aiba, and Sakurai walk in silence. They would soon reach Nihonbashi station, the first station from Edo castle.

“We’ll take our first stop at Nihonbashi,” Ohno told Jun who conveyed the message to the other three.

They entered a teashop, trying not to attract attention, but it was impossible. Everyone’s eyes were on them as they entered the shop, their appearance as samurai was very obvious.

“Samurai from Edo,” Ohno heard one of the visitors told his friend in a loud whisper.

They sat separately; Ohno, Ninomiya, and Sakurai were at one table, meanwhile Jun and Aiba at the other. Ohno mentioned their order and waited in awkward silence; he particularly never talked face to face with Sakurai. The man was looking outside, seemed in deep thought. Ninomiya, meanwhile was looking around the room as if checking someone he probably knew.

“Why did you choose me to become a part of your travel companion?” Sakurai asked all of a sudden. He shifted his gaze to Ohno, his jaw hardened.

“You have more advance skill,” Ohno answered shortly.

“I never got any impression that you admit my skill,” Sakurai said with low voice.

“Sho-san, it’s an honor to travel with Ohno-san. He values your skill more than you knew,” Ninomiya chirped in with a smile on his lips.

Sakurai inhaled a deep breath and didn’t say anything until they left Nihonbashi. Ninomiya walked beside Ohno this time, telling him that Sakurai was too stubborn and that he actually a nice person. Ohno was half-listening, he didn’t care if Sakurai hated him, their safe travel to Osaka was his priority right now. Sakurai was bounded to his obligation to serve him for now, he couldn’t just leave, no matter how he hated to be in this pack.

The darkness had come when they finally reached the outer part of Edo. They spent the night nearby Kawasaki Station, in an old inn belonged to a woman whose appearance looked fierce. The room where they slept was large enough to occupy five of them. Sakurai took the corner which was the farthest from Ohno. They ate dinner in silence and went to sleep not long after; all of them were too tired to stay awake for too long.

From Kawasaki, they continued their trip to Kanagawa. The freezing air blew their face as they walked along the road which located right next to the sea. Ninomiya shivered coldly, so did Aiba. They grinded their teeth and walked while lowering their body to minimize the impact of the cold wind.

“We can’t continue, we’ll die from coldness,” Sakurai said. His lips turned purple from the cold, but he still stood strongly.

“He’s right, Ohno-san. We need to take cover from this wind,” Jun chirped in.

“Alright, we’ll take a rest as soon as we find teashop,” Ohno said, fastening his traveling cloak.

Nino approached closer and walked closely beside him. He hid his hands inside his traveling cloak, trying to block the cold.

“Are you alright?” Ohno asked. It was their first conversation since they left Edo. Ohno couldn’t erase the feeling that Sakurai always frowned in dislike every time he and Ninomiya together. If his guess was right, he had just gotten himself into a more complicated stuff than what he expected.

Since he became a samurai, Ohno had refrained himself from relations which would attach him to somebody. He had been trying to put his highest loyalty to Edo, to the shogunate. But the kissing incident with Ninomiya at his dojo had torn down his principle. For the first time in his life, he desired someone to be at his side. As one of the greatest samurais in Edo, it wasn’t hard for him to get a partner. The daughters from the daimyo would be more than happy to become his wife. But Ohno wasn’t interested in women and he knew it since the very beginning. Having Jun by his side all the time didn’t help him either. Jun was good looking, loyal, and would die for him, but Ohno’s feeling for him wasn’t romantic, it was more like brothers.

With Ninomiya, everything was different. The man showed something like ‘grab me now or never’, a strange thing which had attracted Ohno to him.

“I’m fine,” Ninomiya replied, smiling weakly at him.

They found a cramped teashop and entered. There was only one table left, but the visitors stood immediately when they spotted the swords on their waist.

Ohno took a seat on the tatami and he was glad that Ninomiya chose to sit next to him. The shop owner approached them and asked their order with the utmost politeness.

“You must be very cold,” Ohno said, grabbing Ninomiya’s cold hands to his lap and rubbed them to make them warmer. Ninomiya’s face blushed, but Ohno didn’t let go. He kept on squishing Ninomiya’s hand until the shop owner came with five cups of hot tea.

“We shouldn’t travel in winter,” Jun said, sipping his tea carefully. His nose was reddened from the cold wind outside.

“Our daimyo loves travelling in winter,” Aiba replied. “He always says that winter brings him good luck,” he chuckled dryly.

“I love winter, too,” Ninomiya said. “You know, it’s easier to steal in winter…”

Sakurai coughed and gave Ninomiya a meaningful gaze.

“Steal?” Ohno asked.

“Oh, I mean, it’s easier to stay chill in winter, avoiding fights,” Ninomiya grinned awkwardly.

“Your muscles will be freezing in this coldness,” Sakurai chirped in, glancing shortly at Ohno before sipping his own tea.

“You’re right,” Ninomiya answered, avoiding Ohno’s eyes on purpose.

Ohno looked back and forth from Ninomiya to Sakurai; he was sure that they hid something. Sakurai’s expression was firm, Ninomiya meanwhile showed an ignorant attitude.

They decided to stay over at the nearest inn since the wind had become stronger and it would be impossible to continue their trip in this condition. They got two rooms, one for Ohno and Jun and the other one for Sakurai, Ninomiya, and Aiba.

Ohno was returning from the bathroom when he heard Sakurai and Ninomiya spoke in low voice beyond the closing door, but their voice could be heard clearly.

“Be careful, Nino. Don’t slip on your words,” Sakurai said.

“Don’t worry too much, Sho-san. I can make up stories, you know,” Ninomiya answered lightly.

“Listen. I know that Ohno-san has an eye on you,” Sakurai said with an obvious bitterness in his voice. “But it doesn’t mean he will forgive everything you do.”

“You forgave me,” Ninomiya said.

Silence followed.

“I shouldn’t have taken you to Edo,” Sakurai said after a long pause.

“That again. Are you worried that my skill will be better than yours after intensive training in Edo?”

“You’re hiding something from me,” Sakurai’s voice went higher. “It seems that you were already very good in using sword, even before joining the training in Edo.”

“What if I did?” Ninomiya replied calmly. “Are you going to tell everyone who I really am? Go ahead, Sho-san.”

Ohno gulped. Did he put his trust to a wrong person? Like what Jun had told him? His weird interest to Ninomiya had blinded him from his logic. He tried to listen again, but Sakurai and Ninomiya’s voice was no longer heard.

He returned to his chamber, finding Jun who was still wide awake. Jun was extremely silent for the rest of the journey; he didn’t try to hide his dislike towards Ninomiya – just like how Sakurai didn’t try to hide his dislike towards him. Ohno felt that he had made a huge mistake by appointing these men to travel with him. He thought that the journey would unite them, but now he had to realize he had made a wrong calculation.

“You’d better take some rest,” Ohno said to his underling.

“I have a hunch that someone is following us,” Jun said in a tiny voice.

“Don’t worry too much, Jun-kun. Nobody knows about our trip, except Lord Yoshinao and Kotaki,” Ohno replied.

“Does anyone know that you took part in Sekigahara battle?” Jun asked. It was the first time he showed an interest on Ohno’s involvement in the battle.

“Only a few people,” Ohno said.

“Do you remember how many people you’ve killed in that battle?” Jun asked, stepped closer to Ohno, revealing their height difference even clearer.

“I don’t want to talk about this,” Ohno shook his head. He never counted how many people he had killed for his entire life as samurai. He was trained to be fearless since he was a child; before Edo period began, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill people he didn’t like, but this peaceful time had changed something in him.

“I’m sorry,” Jun apologized. “I just…I’m being a paranoid. I’m afraid that someone is targeting you because you’ve killed their comrade in that battle. Toyotomi’s supporters are still swarming out there, they might recognize you and…”

Ohno patted Jun’s shoulder in a friendly way, “Everything will be alright, you’ve imagined things, Jun, a samurai never afraid of death, remember that.”

“I know, but as your underling, I don’t want you to die in a pathetic death.”

“Thank you for your concern,” Ohno smiled at the taller man. He tried to get some sleep, but he couldn’t close his eyes. He thought of Ninomiya and Sakurai’s conversation which he had overheard.

What should he do about Ninomiya? The selfish side of him wanted the man to stay close to him; perhaps appointing him as his sandal bearer like Jun. But the more logic side told him that he should investigate more about Ninomiya’s background.

Ohno rose off of his futon and walked outside. The cold air swept his skin; he didn’t expect to find Ninomiya at the veranda, looking up to the dark sky, hands crossed over his chest.

“Too cold to sleep?” Ohno asked.

The man turned around and flashed a weak smile at Ohno – he nodded.

“Have you been to Osaka before?” Ohno asked again.

“A long time ago, when I was younger,” Ninomiya replied.

Ohno stepped closer to him; it had been a while since he kissed Ninomiya in his dojo.

“Cold?” he asked.

Ninomiya nodded, letting Ohno pull him into an embrace. He had forgotten his intention to find Ninomiya’s background as he held the man in his arms. It seemed that Ninomiya possessed some kind of magic power which could pull Ohno to him. He leaned closer, capturing Ninomiya’s lips – they were cold, but they still drunken Ohno in the best way possible.

They didn’t care how cold the air was, all that mattered was Ninomiya in his arm. The man replied the kiss, his hand caressed Ohno’s skin, his lips produced a soft groan that made Ohno shiver – a shiver which had nothing to do with the coldness.

“Let’s move to somewhere warmer,” Ohno whispered.

Ninomiya nodded; they found an empty log which located outside of the main building. They tried not to make any sound when they undressed each other quickly. Ohno had no time to consider whether it was right or wrong. There was no guarantee that they could get a better chance next time, it was better to grab it now, while they could.

Ohno had done sex with boys a few times before and from the way Ninomiya moved, he knew that the man was also experienced enough. They couldn’t do a full course in this coldness or they would freeze to death. They came in each other’s hand, panting hard as if they had just finished a sprint.

“It’s been a while,” Ninomiya whispered.

The embarrassment was clearly painted in his face, but he managed to give Ohno a satisfying smile.

“You’re so beautiful,” Ohno said, leaning closer and giving Ninomiya another kiss on his lips.

“Thank you, Ohchan,” he replied.

Ohno smiled wider; he caressed Ninomiya’s cheek, tracing his jaw and leaning closer once again. When they returned to Edo, he would make Ninomiya as one of his underlings so they could stay close to each other as much as they wanted. A true samurai shouldn’t have sex inside a dirty log, but Ohno wasn’t a soldier at the moment, he was just an ordinary man in love.

He had thrown his self-pride as an honorable samurai for this Ninomiya. A man he barely knew, yet, he had already caught Ohno’s heart.

***

They continued their journey in a very slow pace for the next few days. The strong wind had stopped, the air was still freezing, but they got good weather for the rest of the week. Ninomiya stayed close to Ohno all the time which was clearly annoyed Jun and Sakurai. The only person who wasn’t affected by the gloomy atmosphere between them was Aiba. He commented on every single thing they found on their way, even though none of them was enthusiastic enough to reply to his monologue.

They reached Kanaya station on their sixth day; it was where they needed to cross the river to the next station. Two samurai from Ochi clan would accompany their trip. They welcomed Ohno in great respect and prepared dinner for them prior to their departure.

Ohno never guessed that night would be the last time they enjoyed a peaceful journey.

The five of them shared a large room with five warm futons. It was Ohno’s self-policy that he slept with swords still on his kimono belt when he shared a room with other persons, regardless they were his underlings.

“Have a nice rest, Ohno-san,” one of their companions bowed at Ohno while closing the sliding door.

Ohno approached his own futon between Aiba and Ninomiya; he hadn’t had good sleep for nights due to the severe coldness and the obligation to stay alert. But tonight, they were inside the Ochi clan’s territory which was very loyal to Edogawa shogunate, nothing would attack them here and with that, Ohno finally drifted to sleep.

***

It was his best chance; once they crossed the river, everything would be too late.

Nino opened his eyes, he could barely see inside the dark room, but he knew exactly what to do. He slowly pushed himself off of the futon and woke Aiba up. The latter was wide awake; they nodded at each other and moved without sound.

Nino fished a knife from his kimono sleeve; he was ready to kill if one of the sleeping men awake. He took the naginata sword from Ohno’s belt carefully and turned at Aiba. They didn’t need to kill tonight, their task was to draw the details map of Edo castle, the number of troops, the hidden gates, and the weakest point. Stealing the naginata was optional, but Nino couldn’t leave the possession of Toyotomi in the hands of Edo samurai.

“Quick!” Aiba said quietly.

With the last glance at Ohno, he followed Aiba’s steps towards the door. Two samurai welcomed there and the four of them ran into the darkness. They would be heading to the temporary headquarters to convey the report.

They ran as fast as they could; the darkness and coldness accompanied their steps. Nino’s chest was hurt, but there was no time for them to stop. Ohno could awake anytime and knowing how good the man was, Nino was sure that he could catch them up if they slowed their steps down. He was torn between guiltiness and the obligation to accomplish his task.

He had been a member of Toyotomi supporter since he was fifteen, disguising himself as a thief. If he was lucky enough, he would be able to overhear the information from the samurai he passed by. For years, he had tried to approach samurai by stealing from them, but whether he was too skilled or the samurai was too stupid, that nobody had ever took him seriously, until he found Sho.

It was a gamble, though. Sho could have killed him in the process, but once again, the faith had sided with him. Sho liked him and Nino knew how to make advantage of it. He pretended to be an innocent and suffering thief who had no choice but to steal in order to live. Sho trusted him and brought him to Edo, just like what Nino had planned.

In Edo, he met with Aiba, a samurai of Mogami clan who was also a member of Toyotomi rebellion group. Nino’s skill in swords had caught Ohno’s attention and the rest was history – the Akatsuki captain was in love with him. The latest part was not in Nino’s plan; he shouldn’t have let himself involve in any love stories. Everything seemed more complicated because Sho was also had a crush on him.

He had no time to be in love, but at the same time, he couldn’t deny Ohno.

If only they met in another circumstance, perhaps everything would have been so different.

More than once, he had thought to give up on the mission, but he couldn’t just throw away his dedication to Toyotomi. He had been working so hard for years, it would be a waste if he stopped now.

“Keep running!” he heard Aiba’s voice.

“Do you think the sword is a big deal?” Nino asked Aiba while panting hardly.

“Of course, if it’s not, they wouldn’t travel that far just to hand over that sword,” Aiba answered.

They finally slowed down when the dawn came. They changed their clothes to worn out kimono and wore a cloth around their head to hide their chonmage. Nino clutched the naginata sword in his left hand; it was covered in an ugly fabric. They would meet their group leader nearby mountain Nokogiri, from there, they would arrange strategy on how to infiltrate Edo castle. Their purpose was to kill the Edo troops, as many as they could. It would be a suicide mission, but they wanted to convey the message that Toyotomi supporters were still active and still lived in the most hidden part of society. 

Nino looked up to the clear morning sky, wondering how was Ohno’s reaction when he realized that Nino and Aiba had disappeared, along with the naginata sword. Nino convinced himself that they would never meet again, but he had no regret. He had given up himself that night to the captain, it was a beautiful memory that he could bring to his grave.

He followed Aiba’s steps, their way would be rough from now on. There was nothing but death that waited for them.

***

Fifteen years ago

Injured and hungry, Nino dragged his feet towards the woods, away from the battlefield. The cold wind swept his skin; bringing the scent of death to his nose. Most of the samurai from western area were dead; Nino didn’t know what happened to his comrades from the same troop, they separated in the middle of the battle. The eastern samurai outnumbered them within no time; they slaughtered their enemy like grass on their way.

Nino winced as he felt the pain from his fresh wound; there was a huge slash on his shoulder, blood still poured from it. He saw the other survivors of the battle, one of them still had an arrow stabbed into their back. Tokugawa forces had killed most of Toyotomi’s samurai; including Nino’s friends. He had no time to grief for them; Tokugawa troops would have killed him if he stayed any longer in the battlefield.

He walked far enough and made sure that nobody followed him. He took a rest under a tree while taking care of his wound by wrapping it with the fabric he tore apart from his kimono. He looked at the dark sky above; he would die eventually here either from hunger or blood deficiency.

He was too young to die, there were still many things that he wanted to achieve, he hadn’t been to Kyoto, he hadn’t fallen in love, he hadn’t become a fine samurai. He closed his eyes, trying to forget the pain on his shoulder but it was impossible.

Nino heard footsteps approached him. Maybe it was someone from Tokugawa troops who was tasked to chase for the remain of Toyotomi’s forces.

“Oi, open your eyes!” a heavy voice was heard.

“He’s heavily wounded,” another voice said.

Nino opened his eyes and saw two men; they wore kacchu* with Toyotomi symbol.

“Let’s go away from here if you want to live,” they said to Nino while helping him to stand.

He did what they said. He didn’t want to die – not now. He wanted to take revenge to Tokugawa troops, no matter how long it took.

For the last fifteen years, Nino had been training very hard, particularly in using swords. He was left-handed that it was difficult for him to use the usual sword which was made only for the right-handed samurai. He had trained harder than anyone, preparing himself to fight the Tokugawa samurai when the time came.

Two men who saved him – Sakamoto and Inohara introduced him to the hidden group who still supported Toyotomi clan when he turned twenty. He had become the prominent spy for them, using his miserable look. Nino didn’t really remember how he had become so skilled in stealing; he needed the money for the group, to purchase weapon and the other necessities.

His grandfather had taught him that he had to stay loyal to Toyotomi clan, no matter what happened. Their defeat in Sekigahara didn’t mean that their spirit had lost. Toyotomi’s supporters still considered that Tokugawa Ieyasu wasn’t a proper leader for Japan. Rebellion was important to teach them a lesson.

***

“Nino, are you alright?” Aiba asked him.

“I’m okay, Aiba-san.”

“That Ohno-san, he loves you, doesn’t he?” Aiba said as they climbed the path to the mountain.

“Probably,” Nino shrugged.

“It must be hard, having a crush on your enemy,” Aiba replied. “I don’t blame you, he’s charming after all.”

“I just entertained myself,” Nino answered. “Nothing more.”

It wasn’t the honest answer, but Nino couldn’t think of other words to describe his feelings. He didn’t plan to fall in love with Ohno; it just happened as if it was part of his journey. It was a huge mistake and he knew that, but he couldn’t control himself when Ohno was around. He wished he could tell Ohno that his feeling for him – unlike everything he had done – wasn’t a lie.

It was too late; there was no way back for him at the moment.

To be continued

a.n. one more chapter to finish this samurai series :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kacchu: armor of the samurai.


	7. Chapter 7

Ohno couldn’t believe what had happened. He was furious over his own clumsiness; he didn’t know which one was worse, losing the naginata or being betrayed by Ninomiya. He trusted the man and more than that, he loved him. He unleashed his anger by cutting all of sakura branches at the front yard; Jun, meanwhile stayed quiet, watching him from afar. Jun had warned him about Ninomiya, but Ohno was too naïve to listen, he let himself fall deeper for the man and now he had to accept the consequences.

It was even more surprising that Aiba also disappeared. Both of them involved in the same thing, either they were part of samurai clan that against the Tokugawa Shogunate or paid spies from the supporter groups of Toyotomi. They got help from Ochi clan to escape last night; it explained why there were only four samurai in this building, they had been waiting for Ohno’s arrival, they had planned all of this beforehand.

Ohno kicked the bonsai in front of him; he had never failed in a mission, losing the naginata along with two samurai was the biggest failure in his career as the most trustee underling under Lord Yoshinao.

He summoned Sakurai; he was the one who brought Ninomiya to Edo. What puzzled Ohno was why Sakurai didn’t go together with Ninomiya and Aiba. Were there any possibilities that Mito clan turned against the shogunate? Or Sakurai, like Ohno knew nothing about Ninomiya?

“Tell me what you know about Ninomiya,” Ohno said.

Sakurai didn’t answer, he looked down to his knee, his fist tightened.

“Sakurai-san, answer him!” Jun shouted from Ohno’s side. “Your comrade from Mito-clan has stolen the valuable sword which belong to Lord Yoshinao. It’s a serious crime.”

Sakurai lifted his head and unexpectedly smiled. “He’s not from Mito,” he said.

“He’s not? Then why is he traveling with you?” Jun asked.

“He was a former thief; that’s all I know,” Sakurai said with a weak grin on his lips.

“You have brought a thief into the Edo castle,” Ohno hissed, looking at the man before him with disbelief look. “Do you know what it means for you and the whole Mito clan?”

“Mito clan has nothing to do with it,” Sakurai replied, finally meeting Ohno’s gaze. “It was all in me. I was the one who recommended him to travel with me. All you need to do is punishing me instead of Mito clan, Ohno-san.”

Ohno closed his eyes for a while. The one who deserved to be punished was himself, for trusting Ninomiya so deeply. He must take the sword back; it was an important treasure of Lord Yoshinao, the Lord would lose his face if Ohno failed in delivering the sword to Osaka.

“Why did you take him with you?” Jun asked again. “Regardless that you have known he was a thief.”

“I have the same reason with Ohno-san,” Sakurai answered with confident in his voice. His eyes locked at Ohno as if challenging him to say something. “I fell in love with him. But I’m not as lucky as Ohno-san, Nino didn’t love me in return.”

“Enough with this nonsense, we don’t want to hear about your love story,” Jun cut him.

“Tell that to your lord,” Sakurai said to Jun.

“Enough!” Ohno rose off the tatami floor. He didn’t want to discuss his feelings to Ninomiya with Sakurai or Jun. They had more urgent task to do right now – getting the sword back. “I’ll deal with you later on, Sakurai. For now, you need to cooperate with me to find Ninomiya.”

Sakurai frowned; it was obvious that he didn’t want to lend Ohno a hand, but he was attached to his duty as a Mito samurai whose loyalty was given to Edogawa shogunate.

“Yes, Ohno-san,” he answered with a clear hesitation in his voice.

Ohno had two options in his mind: sending Jun back to Edo to report to Lord Yoshinao about the incident meanwhile he and Sakurai chased Ninomiya or the three of them went back to Edo castle to seek for reinforcement. Ninomiya could be anywhere and in order to find him, they needed assistance from the daimyo all over Japan. If Sakurai’s story about Ninomiya’s background was right, it meant the guy was not just an ordinary thief, what kind of criminal could master a perfect sword technique?

Hours had passed since Ninomiya and Aiba’s disappearance. Ohno knew he must take immediate action, but his heart told him to calm down. It would be reckless if the three of them chased Ninomiya and Aiba without reinforcement. They had no idea what was Ninomiya and Aiba’s motive; they probably were the paid samurai for certain clan that against Edogawa shogunate or perhaps they were a part of Toyotomi’s rebellion groups. If the latter was the case, Ohno must be ready to receive punishment from Lord Yoshinao. He had given too much access for Ninomiya and Aiba. Ninomiya, in particular had known every nook and cranny of the castle.

Was that the real reason behind Ninomiya’s sudden appearance inside Ohno’s private quarters without permission?

Ohno heaved a deep sigh; it was a huge mistake. He was too naïve, too weak, too loose; as a samurai, he had forgotten his own principal. It was because he couldn’t control himself when Ninomiya was around; he let his feelings took over his logic and now what left for him was a deep regret.

“Ohno-san.”

He heard Jun’s voice from his side; he knew that Jun would blame him for everything. Jun had warned him a couple of times, but Ohno was too stubborn to listen.

“We’ll return to Edo and report the truth to Lord Yoshinao,” Ohno said firmly. “I’ll take a full responsibility; you have nothing to do with it.”

“I’m your underling,” Jun protested. “Your responsibility will be mine as well.”

Ohno shifted his gaze to Jun, he didn’t know what kind of punishment the Lord would give them for losing the precious naginata sword under their nose. Aside from the sword, Ohno was also responsible for letting Ninomiya join the training without a proper background check.

“The Lord will probably command me to commit seppuku after making such a shameful mistake. I can’t let you die for my mistake,” he said to the taller man.

“We’ll never know, you’re the Lord’s favorite,” Jun replied, but Ohno could sense that he doubted his own words as he spoke. “We have to find Ninomiya and Aiba as soon as we can. I have a hunch that their disappearance will endanger Edo castle.”

“If that’s the case, I will not commit seppuku before finishing them with my own hands,” Ohno said, gripping the handle of his sword. He was the one who trained Ninomiya the double technique swords; the man was good, but his skill wasn’t enough to defeat him.

“Get your belongings, we’ll depart tonight,” Ohno commanded. Both Jun and Sakurai moved to their own luggage; they left the building and headed east towards the Edo. The air was freezing, but they had no time to take a rest. Ohno tried not to think of Ninomiya; the man’s warm breaths against his skin, the man’s mild lips, the man’s fingers that touched his bare chest.

He was a criminal, Ohno told himself. Ninomiya was someone who against the shogunate and for that, there was no other choice than killing him.

***

The trip back to Edo took five days. The three of them were exhausted, but there was no way to take a rest, they had to inform the lord as soon as they could. Jun and Sakurai were silent during the trip; they drowned in their own thoughts and only exchanged words when they took a brief break and divided some food between them.

They entered Edo territory and couldn’t help but feeling anxious, particularly Ohno. He had thought about the possibility of Ninomiya’s involvement in Toyotomi’s supporter groups; it was hard to link the man with the group, but from Sho’s explanation that he was actually a thief, everything seemed related. Ninomiya probably was a high skilled perpetrator whose ability was to intrude to the enemy’s nest, just like what he did back then to Ohno’s personal quarters.

“Nothing suspicious so far,” Jun said, spreading his sight around. “Everyone will be panic if something happens in the castle,” he continued.

“Let’s hope that nothing will happen,” Ohno replied, glancing left and right. He had a bad hunch that someone was following them along the way. If Ninomiya or Aiba planned to murder them, they shouldn’t have waited until they reached Edo territory, it would be easier to finish them when they were far away from Edo – far from reinforcement.

The gate of Edo castle was already in their vision when they realized that something wasn’t right. Smoke soared above the castle; screams were heard from the surrounding area. As they walked closer, the arrows came from the direction of the castle and landed right in front of their feet.

“We’re late,” Ohno said, drawing his swords from the scabbard and ran towards the burning castle without thinking twice.

He didn’t know who was behind the attack, but there was no better explanation than the involvement of Ninomiya and Aiba in this. They probably had already informed their comrades about the entrances which were not fully guarded around the castle and given Ninomiya’s skill in fighting, Ohno was convinced that the members of Toyotomi’s supporter groups also possessed high combating skill. Defeating the guards at the entrance of the castle perhaps wasn’t a big deal for them.

The anger, nervousness, regret, and other mixing emotions rushed into Ohno’s head as he ran along the path of the castle while knocking down a few enemies who blocked his way. He didn’t dare to imagine how much damage these intruders had caused. He didn’t know how many members they had; Edo government never seriously considered them as a threat, but today’s attack had proven how wrong they were.

The attackers had made some damage on the building by firing the arrows with fire; the dry air of winter had helped them to burn faster. Ohno found some dead bodies along the path with arrow stabbed to their throat or huge slash from swords on their stomach. It had been fifteen years since he saw this kind of devastating scene, he had never dreamed of seeing it again in the peaceful era of Edo.

“Protect the main castle!” someone shouted from afar.

The samurai troops of Edo were in chaos; nobody predicted that they would be attacked all of a sudden in under the daylight. Ohno ran towards the direction of Lord Yoshinao’s personal residence on the eastern part of the castle, he met no enemy along his way. Perhaps, the attackers’ main goal was to kill the shogun first to shorten the story afterwards.

Ohno almost reached the building when he saw Kotaki was running towards him. His face showed a panic expression and he spoke quickly to Ohno.

“Lord Yoshinao is in the main castle. All of high rank samurais are gathered there, the attackers know exactly what’s going on here.”

“What the hell,” Ohno turned around and ran to the main castle now, with Kotaki right behind him.

“Why are you here?” Kotaki asked. “You’re supposed to be in Osaka by now.”

“Something happened,” Ohno answered briefly. “It’s not the right time to talk about it. We have to protect the shogun and our lord!”

“Do you have any idea who’s behind this?”

“I don’t know,” Ohno replied, but he was sure that the groups behind this attack was Toyotomi’s supporters. They had been planning all of this – very carefully.

The situation around the main castle was horribly chaotic; the attackers had already made their way into the great meeting hall where all of high-ranked samurai gathered. Ohno knocked two attackers as he ran towards the building which was full of combating pairs. It was obvious that the fighting skill of Edo troops had declined for the past decade; they were blinded by the peaceful era that they didn’t bother to upgrade their skill.

They were defeated by the three attackers whose swords ability was beyond good. Their face was covered by mask; their helmet and the color of their armor had explained that they were Toyotomi remained troops. One of them saw Ohno and without hesitation began to attack him. Their swords clashed, Ohno could see the dark eyes beyond the mask and knew the person was smiling at him.

“You’re good,” the muffled voice said.

“What do you want?” Ohno asked, pushing forward and tried to knock his opponent down, but he was strong enough to encounter it.

“We want to kill the shogun,” the man answered lightly. “We want to take revenge of our defeat during Sekigahara battle.”

“You know it’s impossible,” Ohno said, swinging his sword in his left hand to the man’s neck. The mask broke when the man’s head hit the ground, revealing a face of middle-aged man. He wasn’t dead yet, he looked at Ohno’s face and smirked.

“Our best samurai have already reached the inner part of the castle, your shogun is no longer safe,” the man said with a satisfaction on his face.

Ohno didn’t waste more time, he ran quickly towards the inner circle of the castle building. The place was already half-burned, the smoke blocked his sight, he tried his best to keep his eyes open and saw a silhouette of a man came to his direction. Ohno held his swords high and ready to attack when he recognized Sakurai’s figure in front of him.

“Nino is one of them,” Sakurai said briefly to Ohno. “Are you going to kill him?”

Ohno’s grip around the handle of his sword tightened as he heard what Sakurai said. He had prepared himself for the fact that Ninomiya was his enemy, but hearing it for real still made his blood rustle uncomfortably. He didn’t answer the man’s question and walked through the smoky corridor towards the meeting chamber. His eyes were teary, but he could still see clearly. He saw a man with a mask covering his face; he was standing tough in the middle of the chamber; all of his opponents were sprawling on the floor.

Ohno knew the figure too well; he didn’t need to unmask the man to recognize him.

“Ninomiya,” he whispered between his breaths.

The man turned around, taking off his mask and throwing it onto the floor.

“Long time no see, Ohchan,” he said with a smile on his lips.

Ohno’s eyes glanced at Ninomiya’s waist, the naginata sword wasn’t there.

“Don’t worry, I’ll never use that vintage sword in a battle. It’s too precious,” Ninomiya seemed to know what was Ohno thinking about.

“What do you want?” Ohno gripped his sword tighter, he was ready to attack Ninomiya at any time.

“It’s obvious, I want this shogunate to end,” he answered calmly. “Sekigahara battle didn’t mean Toyotomi clan was over.”

Ohno laughed bitterly. “Do you think your poor rebellion group will be able to end this shogunate? You’re dreaming!”

“Just wait and see,” Ninomiya hissed, running towards Ohno with his sword held up high. The latter was ready to encounter the attack; Ninomiya’s style in fighting was familiar to him after all. But this time, he couldn’t show any mercy to the other man.

Their sword clashed, their feet kicked each other, trying to send the other to the ground. The fire around them was getting bigger, sending unbearable hot air to them, but it was not their concern right now. What matter the most was killing the opponent in front of them. It felt unbelievable for Ohno that the man he wanted to kill at the moment was the man he loved until a few days ago.

His left hand reached for Ninomiya’s shoulder and with full force he slammed the man onto the floor; his sword in his right hand was ready to stab the man’s chest. Ninomiya smiled at him, the same smile he gave Ohno on those nights they spent together on their way to Osaka. Ohno had no choice, his country was more important than this man’s life, he stabbed the sword into Ninomiya’s body, but at the same time, he felt something on his back. He missed Ninomiya’s chest and hit the man’s shoulder instead of his chest. He turned around and saw Sakurai with a sword in his hands.

“Let him go!” he said, holding his sword above his head, ready to give Ohno another blow.

Ohno felt a sharp pain on his back, he had no armor with him, he would die if Sakurai stabbed him once again. But it seemed that Sakurai had no intention to send him to death, he helped Ninomiya to get off the floor and left the battlefield. Ohno saw them disappearing between the flame; his sight turned blurry as the pain spread to the other parts of his body. He tried to stand, but his wound was deep enough to keep him on the ground. He closed his eyes; it was the right punishment for his stupidity.

He heard noises, but the sound was getting further from him or he was the one who drew further from it. This building would disappear with the flame along with his body. No one would know that he was here; maybe it was better this way. His consciousness faded away, no more pain, no more anger, no more sadness, everything was at peace.

***

The rebellion of Toyotomi supporter groups had spread a huge shock to the entire Edo. No high-ranked samurai was killed during the chaos, but the castle suffered a catastrophic damage. Most of the suspects were killed during the battle, meanwhile the survivors would be executed. Tokugawa Ieyasu had commanded a strict investigation to all of the daimyos whether they were linked to the rebellion or not.

Mito clan was summoned immediately after the attack due to the involvement of their two samurai. Those said samurai, however, had disappeared. Many believed they were dead during the battle, but some people assumed they were on the run.

Jun had just finished explained everything to Lord Yoshinao, but he tried not to mention Ohno’s closeness with Ninomiya. He gave his objective opinion that Ninomiya was indeed good in using swords, that was why Ohno was drawn to him. He returned to Ohno’s chamber, wondering what would happen to the man.

He was the one who found Ohno; bleeding and on the verge of death at the almost-collapsed-hall in the main castle. Ohno hadn’t regained consciousness since Jun found him three days ago; the healer had done his best to take care of the man’s wound; what made Ohno’s condition even worse was the smoke he inhaled.

Jun somehow, could guess what had happened in the hall. He saw two figures limping forward exited the burning hall, but because he was facing two other rebellions, he could do nothing to stop them. He was glad that Ohno was still alive, but also worry at the same time on what kind of punishment he would receive. As Ohno’s underling, it was Jun’s obligation to accompany his lord and to accept the same punishment with the man.

It was a stupid mistake to let someone from the enemy side to enter their inner circle. Jun had a bad hunch about Ninomiya, but he had not enough evidence to prove that the man was not as innocence as he looked. If only he could do that earlier, none of this could have happened.

Ohno stirred and groaned in pain. Jun came to him immediately, touching Ohno’s forehead to check on his temperature. The skin under his touch was still burning, he changed the wet towel on the man’s forehead and waited on the bed side, but Ohno’s eyes were still closing tightly with no sign of waking up.

The man finally gained his consciousness a few hours later when it was close to midnight. Jun and the healer stayed beside him until the morning came. Ohno still needed a couple of days until he was able to talk and the first thing, he asked Jun was, “Why am I still alive?”

“Your duty is not over yet, Ohno-san,” Jun replied.

“The lord will behead me anyway,” Ohno mumbled.

“He hasn’t decided the punishment, so forget it until you’re fully recover,” Jun brought the mug to Ohno’s mouth, forcing him to drink the medicine. “Drink, it will make you feel better.”

The man did as he said. He spread his sight around with grimacing face as if trying to recollect his memories from three days ago.

“The castle is safe,” Jun said, reading Ohno’s mind. “Every suspect is in custody now, most of them died, though.”

Ohno nodded. Jun knew that he wanted to ask about Ninomiya and Sakurai, but the man stayed silent and Jun wasn’t that heartless to raise the topic which would hurt Ohno at the moment. He would tell the man about those two when everything settled down. 

“What should I do now?” Ohno asked with a sad tone.

“Get some rest,” Jun said, giving his lord a soft smile. He knew that Ohno’s mind must be in chaos at the moment, he was a samurai with a clean track record and always accomplished the assigned mission successfully. It was his first biggest failure during his whole career at Edo castle.

***

It took around two weeks for Ohno to recover from his wound; he hadn’t fully recovered yet, but he was strong enough to walk outside of his room.

Lord Yoshinao hadn’t summoned them yet. Ohno never left his quarters, he busied himself by reading the reports of the attack which were sent to them a few days ago. He didn’t talk much; so, Jun mostly had a monologue for the whole two weeks. He stayed by Ohno’s side all the time, afraid that the man would do something stupid if he was left alone in the chamber. 

He was telling Ohno about a little incident at the kitchen when Kotaki entered the chamber. His left hand was covered in bandage and hang hopelessly to his neck.

“Lord Yoshinao summons both of you to his chamber,” Kotaki said with a gloomy face. Jun never saw the man with such expression before, Kotaki always smiled and sometimes talked too loud for their liking.

“Alright,” Ohno said, rising slowly from the floor. He gave Jun a meaningful look before following Kotaki towards the exit.

None of them spoke when they walked along the corridor towards Lord Yoshinao’s place. Kotaki didn’t explain anything to them, he guided them in silence. Jun knew that Ohno had prepared for the worst, he didn’t dare to imagine what would happen to the man after this. Ninomiya incident was Ohno’s first mistake since he was appointed as the most-trusted samurai for the Lord. Was it enough to punish him by commanding him to commit seppuku?

The Lord was waiting for them in his chamber, Jun and Ohno took their seat on the tatami and bowed lowly to the man.

“I’m glad you’ve recovered, Satoshi,” the Lord spoke.

“Thank you, my Lord,” Ohno answered, head still bowing.

“What happened at Edo castle was an incident, it’s not your fault, so don’t blame yourself,” the Lord continued.

Jun lifted his head and turned to his right side, to Ohno whose face showed a deep regret.

“I should have done a more proper check, I trust people too easily,” Ohno said with a trembling voice. “I’m ready to accept your punishment, whatever it is, but please spare Jun-kun, he has nothing to do with it. He had warned me all the time, but I ignored him. I was the one who caused all of this.”

“Don’t be stupid, Ohno-san,” Jun said, looking back and forth from Ohno and Lord Yoshinao. “I’m attached to him forever, let me accept your punishment as well, my Lord.”

The Lord’s dark eyes swept them; a slight smile appeared on his lips. “You’re so lucky, Satoshi. Jun shows you unconditional loyalty,” he said while taking something from his left side, a roll of parchment. “The decision for both of you is not on me, regardless that you serve under my command. The higher rank samurai have decided your punishment and it was written on this parchment.”

Jun could hear Ohno’s deep breath, waiting for the Lord to read what was written on the parchment in his hands.

“The Bakufu has decided that Ohno Satoshi will serve as a keeper of Takeda castle in Hyogo. His departure will be in the beginning of spring,” the Lord put down the parchment and looked at both of them.

Keeping a castle far away from Edo was never on Jun’s prediction, but it was better than seppuku. He heaved a relieve breath and looked at Ohno; the man’s expression was unreadable.

“Thank you, my Lord,” Ohno bowed.

“Don’t see it as an exile,” Lord Yoshinao said. “Takeda castle is considered as a place above clouds, much better than Edo,” he continued.

Jun and Ohno thanked the Lord once again and left his chamber.

“I’ll find information on that castle,” Jun said as they arrived at their private quarters.

“Thanks, Jun-kun,” Ohno replied with rather a gloomy face. Jun knew that it must be very disappointing for Ohno to spend the rest of his carrier in the mountain. He was a great samurai; it would be such a waste if he had no chance to prove his skill. “I’m glad you’re with me,” he continued, giving Jun a friendly pat on his shoulder.

Jun watched the man as he walked to his room; he had no regrets following Ohno, not mentioning that they would spend their days in the mountain, far away from Edo, far away from civilization. But maybe it was for the best to both of them.

***

Spring had begun; the extreme cold had gone little by little, replaced by warmer weather – not warm enough but it was more convenient than the endless coldness. The warm weather arrived earlier at the southern part of Japan and that was where Sho and Nino lived.

They spent almost three months on the way, trying to find a place far enough from Edo. Nino was heavily wounded, his left hand never came back to normal since the Edo castle incident, but thankfully, he didn’t suffer any other permanent damage.

They avoided talking about the incident; the word ‘Edo’ was kind of taboo for them. They never mentioned Ohno’s name either. They pretended that the joint training never happened as well as the life they once had before that.

Nino worked as a street magician which was surprisingly popular enough among the people. Sho, meanwhile became a teacher at the school for farmer families. They completely threw their status as samurai since that day. Sho still dreamed about the incident; he would see Ohno stabbed Nino to death over and over again; it would wake him up in the middle of the night. He would check on Nino, making sure that he was alright.

Sho knew that Nino still couldn’t get over Ohno, no matter how he pretended that he had moved on. Sho was patient, tough. If Nino didn’t open up his heart for him, at least, they could spend their time as friends and it would be good enough for him.

“Look what I’ve got, a letter from Aiba-san,” Nino said when Sho arrived at their hut.

“Aiba? How did he find us?” Sho asked, taking the letter from Nino’s hand.

“Through one of my fans,” Nino said, grinning. “The guy who watched me playing magic trick yesterday was apparently a member of Toyotomi’s troops. He still remembered me, even though I didn’t know him. He’s on the run as well and he knew where Aiba-san was.”

“What a coincidence,” Sho said, sitting down on the floor while reading Aiba’s letter.

“He’s in Chiba, working at a teashop?” Sho rolled his eyes. “That’s so close to Edo, is he insane?”

That was the first time in months for Sho to mention Edo, he looked at Nino’s expression and was ready to apologize when Nino smiled.

“I know, what a weird guy,” Nino said, chuckling.

They laughed together, imagining how Aiba looked in an apron, serving his customers. Their life had changed dramatically, but Sho had no regrets. He heard from people on the street about what happened in Edo after the rebellion. The shogun had reformed the rules and tighten the security around the castle. No more joint training; instead, they focused more on economic development. Sho, however, kept the information to himself, their life had nothing to do with the Bakufu anymore, it was another life in the past, something they would never be able to return to.

***

Five years had passed since the rebellion, since Ohno and Jun left the capital and started their new life at Takeda castle. It was hard at the beginning, but with the bushido spirit inside their soul, they managed to enjoy their new days on top of the mountain.

Ohno had developed his new ability in painting. He would wake up early in the morning to sit down at the veranda, drawing the mist in the canvas. He still trained every now and then to keep his strength and Jun was more than glad to accompany him.

“It’s our fifth spring,” Jun said, looking at the morning light on the eastern sky.

“Time flies,” Ohno replied shortly, continuing his drawing which was nearly finished.

“Another beautiful panorama,” Jun commented, looking at the canvas. Ohno had painted countless paintings for the last three years; a few of them were sent to Edo as gifts to Lord Yoshinao.

“You know, somehow, I’m grateful to be sent here,” Ohno murmured. “It’s not a punishment, but more as a reward for me,” he put down the brush and turned at Jun. “Would you accompany me for a walk today?”

“With pleasure,” Jun said, rising off of the floor.

They walked side by side towards the line of sakura trees just beside of the castle. The beauty of the spring in the morning was beyond words. Jun looked up to the blossoming sakura, feeling grateful that he still be able to accompany Ohno up until today.

“Edo era is peaceful,” Ohno muttered.

“You’re right, just like our life here,” Jun replied, smiling to the man beside him.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the last chapter of the series :)   
thanks for all the kudos and comments ^_^   
I really wanted to write samurai series since a long time ago and I finally made it :))


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